The Lost HeroMy Version
by Zizzle-Fashizzle
Summary: Okay, what if another demigod came along at Pikes Peak? This is what would happen if that DID happen... I don't own anything, but I wish I did, or I'd be a genius.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter Thirty One-Piper

"**Wolves," Piper said. "They sound close." **

Jason rose and summoned his sword. Leo and Coach Hedge got to their feet too. Piper tried, but black spots danced before her eyes.

"Stay there," Jason told her. "We'll protect you." 

She gritted her teeth. She hated feeling helpless. She didn't _want _anyone to protect her. First the stupid ankle. Now the stupid hypothermia. She wanted to be on her feet, with her dagger in her hand.

Then, just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, she saw a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark.  
>Okay, she thought. Maybe a little protection is fine.<p>

More wolves edged into the firelight-black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed, and their glowing red eyes looked disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front of them was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill. 

Piper pulled her dagger out of its sheath. 

Then Jason stepped forward and said something in Latin. Piper didn't think a dead language would have much effect on wild animals, but the alpha wolf curled his lip. The fur stood up along his spine. One of his lieutenants tried to advance, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear. Then all the wolves backed into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shook in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"  
>Hedge cursed. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look." <p>

The wolves were coming back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They didn't attack. They waited-at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit. 

The coach hefted his club. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, you guys escape."  
>"Coach, they'll rip you apart," Piper said.<br>"Nah, I'm good." 

Then, Piper saw the silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the wolf pack.

"Stick together," Jason said. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind." 

Piper got a lump in her throat. She was the weak link in their "pack" right now. No doubt the wolves could smell her fear. She might as well be wearing a sign that said FREE LUNCH.

The wolves parted, and the man stepped into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur-wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others Piper couldn't identify. The furs didn't look cured, and from the smell, they weren't very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's. But the most horrible thing was his face. His thin pale skin was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes were glowing bright red like the wolves'-and they were fixed on Jason with absolute hatred.

"_Ecce,_" he said. "_filli Romani._"  
>"Speak English, wolf man!" Hedge bellowed.<br>The wolf man snarled. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, or he will be my first snack."

Piper remembered that _faun _was the Roman name for _satyr. _Not exactly helpful information. Now, if she could remember who this guy was in Greek mythology, and how to defeat him, _that _she could use.

The wolf man studied their little group. His nostrils twitched. "So it's true," he mused. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. A faun. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting."  
>"You were told about us?" Jason asked. "By whom?"<br>The man snarled-perhaps a laugh, perhaps a challenge. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And my pack is hungry."  
>The wolves snarled in the darkness.<p>

"But we've found ourselves quite the treat along the way, not too long ago." Lycaon continued, then ordered to his wolves, "Bring her forth." 

What Piper saw next was horrifying. Two wolves walked behind a girl about Piper's age, with manghony, bright, scared eyes, was half Hispanic/half white, and very beautiful. She wore a Houston Dynamos long sleeve t-shirt, skinny jeans, and worn black Converse high-tops. She was model perfect, except not that skinny, just regular, but what ruined that image were scars across her face, as if the wolves had attacked her. She shouldered a thin black book bag self-consciously as she walked, her eyes darting around, but they focused on Piper and her friends.

"Where'd you find her?" Jason demanded, sounding furious.  
>Lycaon chuckled. "Spying on you, actually in the peak. We tried to attack her, but she is very… ah, rude and quite a fighter."<br>"Rude!" the girl rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Look at you, wolf man! Steal a teen at Pikes Peak, now that's rude."  
>Lycaon snarled at her in a threating way. "Shush, daughter of Trivia."<p>

Piper's brain was racking. Trivia? Who the heck was Trivia? And why were Lycaon and his pack following them? What was the story of Lycaon again?

"Who's Trivia?" Leo asked, and Piper noticed he held a bottle full of clear liquid.  
>"Hecate," Hedge answered. "Goddess of magic." <p>

"Leave," Jason ordered. "There's no food for you here. Now give us the girl."  
>"Unless you want tofu burgers," Leo offered. <p>

Lycaon bared his fangs. Apparently he wasn't a tofu fan. "If I had my way," he said with regret. "I'd kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was the powerful king of Arcadia, with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts."  
>"Ha," Coach Hedge said. "For good reason!"<br>Jason glanced over his shoulder. "Coach, you know this clown?"  
>"<em>I <em>do," Piper answered. The details of the myth came back to her-a short, horrible she and her father had laughed about at over breakfast. She wasn't laughing now.

"Lycaon invited Zeus to dinner," she said. "But the king wasn't sure it was really Zeus. So to test his powers, Lycaon tried to feed him human flesh. Zeus was outraged-"  
>"And killed my sons!" Lycaon howled. The wolves behind him howled too.<p>

"So Zeus turned him into a wolf," Piper said. "They call… they call werewolves _lycanthropes_, named after him, the first werewolf." 

"King of the wolves," Coach Hedge finished. "An immortal, smelly, vicious mutt."  
>Lycaon growled. "I will tear you apart, faun!"<br>"Oh, you want some goat, buddy? 'Cause I'll give you some goat."

"Stop it," Jason said. "Lycaon, you said you _wanted _to kill me first, but…?"  
>"Sadly, child of Rome, you are spoken for. Since this one-" He wagged his claws at Piper. "has failed to kill you, you are to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."<br>"Who?" Jason asked.  
>The wolf king snickered. "Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently, you made quite the impression on her-" <p>

Suddenly, two wolves howled in pain, and faded into a blur of black, then were gone. The girl stood there, eyes wide in horror, staring at the two places that her guards once stood.

Lycaon looked furious. "You killed my wolves. You shall pay for that with death, Trivia spawn."  
>"Look," the girl explained quickly. "I was just staring at them, and then they were gone!"<br>"Ah, a liar, an interesting demigod, you are." He then snarled, "Get her."  
>The wolves charged, but Leo struck. He threw his glass bottle on the ground, splattering liquid all over the wolves-the unmistakable smell of gasoline. He shot a burst of fire and a wall of flames erupted. <p>

Wolves yelped and retreated. Several caught on fire and had to run back to the snow. Even Lycaon looked uneasy at the barrier of flames now separating his wolves from the demigods.  
>"Aw, c'mon," Coach Hedge complained. "I can't hit them from all the way over there."<p>

Every time a wolf got closer, Leo shot a new wave of fire from his hands, but each effort seemed to make him a little bit more tired, and the gasoline was already dying down. "I can't summon any more gas!" Leo warned, then his face turned red, and the girl grinned to keep herself from laughing. "Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the-"

Suddenly, Lycaon yelped, and collapsed onto his back. He held a long wound on his stomach, wincing, and the girl loomed over him, a huge silver Swiss army knife in hand. She looked ferocious, almost like a madman, which kind of creeped Piper out, but impressed her.

Then a ripping sound cut through the wind-like a piece of tearing cardboard. A long stick sprouted from the neck of the nearest wolf-the shaft of a silver arrow. The wolf writhed and fell, melting into a puddle of shadow.

More arrows. More wolves fell. The pack broke into confusion. An arrow curved and flashed toward Lycaon, but the wolf king caught it in midair. Then he yelled in pain. When he dropped the arrow, it left a charred, smoking gash across his palm, matching on across his stomach. Another arrow caught in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggered.

Piper noticed that more wolves were left, closing in on the girl, who was crouched, covering herself with her arms.

She was about to charge, when a gust of wind made the wolves fly backwards. The girl stood, and Piper noticed that steam was curling of the cave floor, and in a circle around the girl.

Piper watched in awe as bright green fire erupted in a tall circle.  
>"How…?" she asked, almost unable to speak.<br>"I-I-I-I don't know…" the girl answered in a small voice, looking stunned.  
>"Greek fire." Hedge whispered. "Girl, how did you get some of <em>that<em>?"

Lycaon was in the cave entrance, glaring at the group in hatred. "This isn't over."  
>The wolf king disappeared into the night.<p>

Seconds later, Piper heard more wolves baying, but the sound was different-less threatening, more like hunting dogs on the scent. A smaller white wolf burst into the cave, followed by two more.

Hedge said, "Kill it?"  
>"No!" Piper said. "Wait."<p>

The wolves tilted their heads and studied the campers with huge golden eyes.

A heartbeat later, their masters appeards: a troop of hunters in white-and-grey winter camoflauge, at least half a dozen. All of them carried bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs.

Their faces were covered with parka hoods, but clearly they were all girls. One, a little taller than the rest, crouched by the firelight and snatched up the arrow that had wounded Lycaon's hand.

"So close." She turned to her companions. "Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you."  
>The other hunters mumbled agreement and disappeared, heading after Lycaon's pack.<p>

The girl in white turned toward them, her face still hidden in her parka hood. "We've been following that demon's trail for over a week. Is everyone all right? No one got bit?"

Jason stood frozen, staring at the girl. Piper realized something about her voice sounded familiar. It was hard to pin down, but the way she spoke, the way she formed her words, reminded her of Jason.

"You're her," Piper guessed. "You're Thalia."  
>The girl tensed. Piper was afraid she might draw her bow, but instead she pulled down her parka hood. Her hair was spiky black, with a silver tiara across her brow. Her face had a super-healthy to it, as if she were a little more than human, and her eyes were brilliant blue. She was the girl from Jason's photograph.<p>

"Do I know you?" Thaila asked.  
>Piper took a deep breath. "This may be a shock, but-"<br>"Thalia." Jason stepped forward, his voice trembling. "I'm Jason, your brother."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Thirty Two-Leo

**Leo figured he had the worst luck **in the group, and that was saying a lot. Why didn't _he _get to have the long lost sister, or the movie star dad who needed rescuing? All he got was a tool belt and a dragon that broke down halfway through the quest. Maybe it was the stupid curse of the Hephaestus cabin, but Leo didn't think so. His life had been unlucky way before he got to camp.

A thousand years from now, when this quest was being told around a campfire, he figured that people would talk about brave Jason, beautiful Piper, and their sidekick Flaming Valdez, who accompanied them with a bag of magic screwdrivers and occasionally fixed tofu burgers.

If that wasn't bad enough, Leo fell in love with every girl he saw-as long as she was totally out of his league.

When he first saw Thalia, Leo immediately thought she was _way _too pretty to be Jason's sister. Then he thought he'd better not say that or he'd get in trouble. He liked her dark hair, her blue eyes, and her confident attitude. She looked like the kind of girl that could stomp anybody on the court or battlefield, and wouldn't give Leo the time of day-just Leo's type!

For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thaila rushed forward and hugged him.  
>"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it <em>is <em>you. The little scar on your lip-you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Leo laughed. "Seriously?"  
>Hedge nodded like he approved Jason's taste. "Staplers-excellent source of iron."<p>

"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we _have _to talk. Let's sit."

Piper did better than that. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the floor if Coach Hedge hadn't caught her.

Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah-never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"  
>Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks <em>this <em>good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

Thalia looked over at Leo for the first time, and of course it was an accusatory glare, like _Why did you let the goat be a doctor? _As if that was Leo's fault.

"You and the satyr," Thalia ordered. "take this girl-"

"WAIT! TIMEOUT! PAUSE! _Pausa!_" The girl intervened, arms spread, looking confused. "Wh… wh… what was that? What just happened? You acted like you knew all that!"  
>Leo glanced over at her, followed by everyone else.<p>

"Right," Thalia said. "Um… what's your name?"  
>"Wisty," the girl answered cautiously. "Wisty Salinas."<p>

"Wisty," Thalia told her. "Go to a tent. Lady Artemis needs to speak to you and explain."

Wisty gave the cave and its people one last look, then walked out into the snow.

"Anyway," Thalia continued. "Satyr and the girl, go see Phoebe- she's an excellent healer."  
>"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off!"<p>

But Leo knew when they weren't wanted. "Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."  
>"Humph. Fine." The satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."<p>

Hedge carried Piper towards the entrance. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?"  
>Leo saw something in Jason's eyes he didn't except: Jason was asking for support. He wanted somebody else there. He was scared.<p>

Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the three of them sat at the fire. For a few minutes, no one spoke. Jason studied his sister like a scary device-one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seemed more at ease, as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives. But she still regarded Jason in some kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. Leo took a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twisted them together.

Finally he couldn't stand the silence. "So… the Hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' thing-is that like _always_, or more of a seasonal thing or what?"  
>Thalia stared at him as if he'd just evolved from pond scum. Yeah, he was <em>definitely <em>liking this girl.

Jason kicked him in the shin. "Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But Thalia… what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?"

Thalia tugged at a silver bracelet on her wrist. In the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she almost looked like Khione- just as cold and beautiful.

"Do you remember anything?" she asked.  
>Jason shook his head. "I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper."<br>"Which wasn't our fault," Leo added hastily. "Hera stole his memories."

Thalia tensed. "Hera? How do you know that?"  
>Jason explained about their quest- the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and the winter solstice. Leo chimed in to add important stuff: how he'd fixed the bronze dragon, could throw fireballs, and made excellent tacos.<p>

Thalia was a good listener. Nothing seemed to surprise her-the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. But when Jason mentioned King Midas, she cursed in Ancient Greek.

"I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she said. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon-Well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been… what, hiding you all these years?"  
>"I don't know." Jason brought out the photo from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face."<p>

Thalia looked at the picture, and her expression softened. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?"  
>Jason nodded. "I think that Hera wanted us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave… I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?"<p>

"Nah," Leo assured him. "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister."

Thalia ignored him. Probably she just didn't want to let on how much Leo impressed her.

"Jason," she said, "when you're dealing with the gods, _nothing _is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially when we're children of Zeus. She _hates _all children of Zeus."  
>"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?"<p>

The color drained from Thalia's face. "Oh, gods, Mother wouldn't have… You don't remember- No, of course you don't."  
>"What?" Jason asked.<p>

Thalia's features seemed to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality wasn't working so well. "Jason… I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable. She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she _was _beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born… she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about gods… well, they don't hang around."

Leo remembered his mom, the way she's assured him over and over that his dad would be back someday. But she'd never acted mad about it. She didn't seem to want Hephaestus for herself-only so Leo could know his father. She'd dealt with working a dead-end job, living in a tiny apartment, never having enough money-and she'd seemed fine with it. As long as she had Leo, she always said, life would be okay.

He watched Jason's face-looking more and more devastated as Thalia described their mom- and for once, Leo wasn't jealous of his friend. Leo might have lost his mom. He might have had some hard times. But at least he remembered her. He found himself tapping out a Morse code message on his knee: _Love you. _He felt bad for Jason, not having memories like that- not having anything to fall back on.

"So…" Jason didn't seem able to finish the question.  
>"Jason, you've got friends." Leo told him. "Now you've got a sister. You're not alone."<p>

Thalia offered her hand, and Jason took it.

"When I was about seven," she said. "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed-different somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom approved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born. Mom… well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute. And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus stopped coming by again. He couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable. That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too-that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but _two _demigod children from the same family was too big of an insult. Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn't know what to believe."

Leo fiddled with copper wires. He felt like an intruder. He shouldn't be listening to this, but it also made him feel like he was getting to know Jason for the first time-like maybe being here now made up for those four months at Wilderness School, when Leo had imagined they'd had a friendship.

"How did you guys get separated?" he asked.

Thalia squeezed her brother's hand. "If I'd known you were alive… gods, things would've been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us into a car for a family vacation. We drove up north, towards the wine country, to this park she wanted to show us. I remember thinking it was strange because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of the park, and…" She took a shaky breath. "Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her, but it was only a few minutes. When I came back… Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said-she said you were gone. She said Hera had claimed you and you were as good as dead. I didn't know what she'd done. I was afraid she'd completely lost her mind. I ran all over the place looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical. I don't remember anything, but I called the police and they questioned Mom for a long time. Afterward, we fought. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should support her, like _she _was the only one that mattered. Finally I couldn't stand it. Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I never told anyone about you-not even Annabeth or Luke, my two best friends. It was just too painful."  
>"Chiron knew." Jason's voice sounded far away. "When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead'."<br>"That doesn't make sense," Thalia insisted. "I never told him."

"Hey," Leo said. "Important thing is you've got each other now, right? You two are lucky."  
>Thalia nodded. "Leo's right. Look at you. You're <em>my <em>age. You've grown up."

"But where have I been?" Jason said. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff…"  
>Thalia frowned. "The Roman stuff?"<br>"You're brother speaks Latin," Leo said. "He calls gods by their Roman names, and he's got tattoos." Leo pointed out to the marks on Jason's arm. Then he gave Thalia the rundown about the other weird stuff that happened: Boreas turning into Aquilon, Lycaon calling Jason a "child of Rome," and the wolves backing off when Jason spoke Latin to them.

Thalia plucked at her bowstring. "Latin. Zeus sometimes spoke Latin, the second time he stayed with Mom. Like I said, he seemed different, more formal."  
>"You think he was in his Roman aspect?" Jason asked. "And that's why I think of myself as a child of Jupiter?"<br>"Possibly," Thalia said. "I've never heard of something like that happening, but it might explain why you think in Roman terms, why you can speak Latin rather than Ancient Greek. That would make you unique. Still, it doesn't explain how you've survived without Camp Half-Blood. A child of Zeus, or Jupiter, or whatever you want to call him-you would've been hounded by monsters. If you were on your own, you should've died years ago. I know _I _wouldn't have been able to survive without friends. You would've needed training, a safe haven-"  
>"He wasn't alone," Leo blurted out. "We've heard of others like him."<p>

Thalia looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"  
>Leo told her about the slashed-up purple shirt in Medea's department store, and the story of the Cyclopes told about the child of Mercury who spoke Latin.<p>

"Isn't there anywhere else for demigods?" Leo asked. "I mean besides Camp Half-Blood? Maybe some crazy Latin teacher has been abducting children of the gods or something, making them think like Romans."

As soon as he said it, Leo realized how stupid the idea sounded. Thalia's dazzling blue eyes studied him intently, making him feel like a suspect in a lineup.

"I've been all over the country," Thalia mused. "I've never seen evidence of a crazy Latin teacher, or demigods in purple shirts. Still…" Her voice trailed off, as if she'd just had a troubling thought.

"What?" Jason asked.  
>Thalia shook her head. "I'll have to talk to the goddess. Maybe Artemis will guide us."<br>"She's still talking to you?" Jason asked. "Most of the gods have gone silent."  
>"Artemis follows her own rules," Thalia said. "She has been careful not to let Zeus know, but she thinks Zeus is being ridiculous for closing Olympus. She's the one who sent us on the trail of Lycaon. She said we'd find a lead to a missing friend of ours."<p>

"Percy Jackson," Leo guessed. "The guy Annabeth is looking for."  
>Thalia nodded, her face full of concern.<p>

Leo wondered if anyone had ever looked that worried all the times _he'd _disappeared. He kind of doubted it.

"So what would Lycaon have to do with it?" Leo asked. "And how does it connect to us?"  
>"We need to find out soon," Thalia admitted. "If your deadline is tomorrow, we're wasting time. Aeolus will tell you-"<p>

The white wolf appeared again at the doorway and yipped insistently.

"I have to get moving." Thalia stood. "Otherwise I'll lose the other Hunters' trail. First, though, I'll take you to Aeolus' palace."  
>"If you can't, it's okay," Jason said, though he sounded kind of distressed.<br>"Oh, please," Thalia smiled and helped him up. "I haven't had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying. Now, let's go!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Thirty Three-Leo

**When Leo saw how well Piper, Wisty, and **Hedge were being treated, he was thoroughly offended.

He'd imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunter Phoebe had set up this silver tent pavilion thing right outside the cave. How she'd done it so fast, Leo had no idea, but inside was a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper was decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter. She and Hedge and Phoebe were kicking back, drinking hot chocolate while Wisty was sleeping, and her head was on a huge silver pillow.

"Oh, no way," Leo said. "We've been sitting in a _cave _and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"  
>Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of.<p>

"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia said. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."

Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes that were incredibly lightweight and warm.

"Cheers!" said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup.  
>"That cannot be good for your intestines." Leo said.<p>

Then Leo glanced over at Wisty, and he was over Thalia in an instant. Wisty was curled up next to him, her face so delicate looking and so… angelic. Her scars were gone, and she almost glowed with beauty.

Wisty's eyes opened, and she sat up, blinking. Her hair was somehow perfect, like she had the Aphrodite blessing, which Leo thought she did.

Thalia looked over at Wisty and asked, "How did your talk with Lady Artemis go?"  
>Wisty's face darkened. "Fine," she muttered. "Just fine."<p>

Everyone took that in silence.

Then, Thalia patted Piper on the back. "You up for moving?"  
>Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles."<p>

Thalia winked at Jason. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."  
>"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteered, glancing at Wisty, who was looking at him as if he'd just come from Pluto. "Let's hit it."<br>Naturally, Thalia and Wisty ignored him.

It took Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which Leo could not believe. The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Leo wanted to ask her for the blueprints, but they didn't have time.

Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a little tiny path on the side of the mountain, and soon Leo regretted trying to look macho (Which had made Wisty grin, which made Leo pretty happy), because the Hunters left him in the dust.

Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant: _I've got a girl in Kalamazoo_-"  
>"Let's not," Thalia snapped.<br>So they ran in silence.

Suddenly, for the first time, Wisty spoke to Leo. "Is he always like that?" she asked.  
>Leo shrugged. "Yeah,"<br>"He's a little…"  
>"Crazy?"<br>Wisty nodded.

Leo fell in next to Jason at the back of the group. "How you doing, man?"  
>Jason's expression was enough of an answer: <em>Not good. <em>

"Thalia takes it so calmly," Jason said. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but… she's not like me. She seems so much more _together_."  
>"Hey, she's not fighting amnesia," Leo said. "Plus, she's had more time to get used to this whole demigod thing. You fight monsters and talk to gods for a while, you probably get used to surprises."<br>"Maybe," Jason said. "I just wish I understood what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of _me_."  
>"Hey, whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. And your sister is pretty cool. She's a <em>lot <em>like you."

Jason took that in silence. Leo wondered if he'd said the right things. He wanted to make Jason feel better, but this was way outside his comfort zone.

Out of the corner of Leo's eye, he saw Wisty turn her attention back in front of her, smiling. Leo was guessing he had said the right things.

Leo wished he could reach inside his tool belt and pick just the right wrench to fix Jason's memory-maybe a little hammer-bonk the sticking spot and make everything right. That would be a lot easier than trying to talk it through. _Not good with organic life forms. _Thanks for those inherited traits, Dad.

He was so lost in thought, he didn't realize that the Hunters had stopped. He slammed into Thalia and nearly sent them both down the side of the mountain the hard way. Fortunately, the Hunter was light on her feet. She steadied them both, then pointed up.

"That," Leo choked. "Is a really large rock."  
>"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Wisty snapped.<p>

They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, Leo could hardly breathe. Night had settled in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands-or teeth.

But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but Leo figured it was at least as wide as a football stadium and just as tall. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with the sound like a piper organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of fortress.

The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.

Then Leo realized the bridge wasn't exactly ice, because it wasn't solid. As the winds changed directions, the bridge snaked around-blurring and thinning, in some places that even breaking into a dotted line like a vapor trail of a plane.

"We're seriously not crossing that," Leo said.  
>"Seriously," Wisty agreed, looking up at the island in awe.<br>Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"  
>"The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, some mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's the trick of light, but it's actually the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."<p>

"Isn't Aeolus, like, king of the winds or something?" Wisty asked Thalia.  
>She nodded.<p>

"It's enormous," Jason said.  
>Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."<br>"You're serious? You've been there?"  
>Thalia grimaced as if it wasn't a good memory. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."<p>

"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"  
>Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait… Jason you can <em>fly<em>?"

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean… you can't fly?"

For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control. Leo realized she was a lot more scared of heights than she was letting on.

"Truthfully," she said. "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. Amazingly, it held his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, Wisty, come on, girlies. I'll give you all a hand."  
>"No, that's okay," Piper and Wisty began to say, but the coach grabbed their hands and dragged them up the bridge.<p>

When they were halfway, the bridge was holding them fine, but Wisty mouthed, "Help me!"

Thalia turned to her Hunter friend. "Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."  
>"You sure?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason, like they might kidnap Thalia or something.<br>"It's fine," Thalia promised.  
>Phoebe nodded reluctantly, then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves on her heels.<p>

"Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step." Thalia said. "It hardly ever breaks."  
>"It hasn't met me yet," Leo muttered, but he and Jason led the way up the bridge.<p>

Halfway up, things went wrong, and of course it was Leo's fault. Piper, Wisty and Hedge had made it safely to the top, and were waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo got distracted. He was thinking about bridges-how he could design something way more stable than this shifting ice vapor business if this were his palace. He was pondering braces and support columns. Then a sudden revelation stopped him in his tracks.

"Why do they have a bridge?" he asked.  
>Thalia frowned. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"<br>"They're wind spirits," Leo said. "Can't they fly?"  
>"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."<br>"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asked.  
>Thalia shook her head. "The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now. They know you're coming."<p>

Leo's mind was racing. He was so excited he could almost feel his body's temperature rising. He couldn't quite put his thoughts into words, but he knew he was on to something important.

"Leo?" Jason said. "What are you thinking?"  
>"Oh, gods," Thalia said. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."<p>

Leo shuffled backwards. With horror, he realized his body temperature really _was _rising, just as it had years ago at that picnic table under the pecan tree, when his anger had gotten away from him. Now, excitement was the reaction. His pants steamed in the cold air. His shoes were literally smoking, and the bridge didn't like it. The ice was thinning.

"Leo, stop it," Jason warned. "You're going to melt it."  
>"I'll try," Leo said. But his body was overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a <em>bridge<em>."

"Leo, seriously, cool down," Thalia said. "I don't know what you're talking about, but the bridge is-"  
>"Just listen," Leo insisted. "If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don't get along-like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."<br>"An exchange." Thalia's eyes widened. "Oh, gods."

Jason frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

Thalia murmured something like a prayer. "I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason-she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. _You _are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."  
>"I don't understand," he protested. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."<p>

"But Leo's right," Thalia said. "It's all connected. If we just knew where-"

Leo snapped his fingers. "Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?"

Thalia nearly choked. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! _That's _where they're keeping Hera?"  
>"You know where it is?" Jason asked.<p>

Then the bridge dissolved. Leo would've fallen to his death, but Jason grabbed his coat and pulled him to safety. The two of them scrambled up the bridge, and when they turned, Thalia was on the other side of a thirty-foot chasm. The bridge was continuing to melt.

"Go!" Thalia shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. "Find out where the giant is keeping Piper's dad. Save him! I'll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until I get there. We can do both!"  
>"But where <em>is <em>the Wolf House?" Jason shouted.  
>"You know where it is, little brother!" She was so far away now that they could barely hear her voice over the wind. Leo was pretty sure she said: "I'll see you there. I promise."<br>Then she turned and raced down the dissolving bridge.

Leo and Jason didn't have time to stand around. They climbed for their lives, the ice thinning under their feet. Several times, Jason grabbed Leo and used the winds to keep them aloft, but it was more like bungee jumping than flying.

When they reached the floating island, Piper, Wisty, and Coach Hedge pulled them aboard just as the last of the vapor bridge vanished. They stood gasping for breath at the base of a stone stairway chiseled into the side of the cliff, leading up to the fortress.

Leo looked back down. The top of Pikes Peak floated below them in a sea of clouds, but there was no sign of Thalia. And Leo may have just burned their only exit.

"What happened?" Piper and Wisty demanded in unison, then Wisty asked, "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"  
>"I got a little heated," he gasped. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't-"<p>

"It's all right," Jason said, but his expression was grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Thirty Four-Jason

**Jason had found his sister and **lost her in less than an hour. As they climbed the cliffs of the floating island, he kept looking back, but Thalia was gone.

Despite what she'd said about meeting him again, Jason wondered. She'd found a new family with the Hunters, and a new mother in Artemis. She seemed so confident and comfortable about her life, Jason wasn't sure if he'd ever be part of it. And she seemed so set on finding her friend Percy. Had she ever for Jason that way?

_Not fair, _he told himself. _She thought you were dead. _

He could barely tolerate what she'd said about their mom. It was almost like Thalia had handed him a baby-A really loud, ugly baby-and said, _Here, this is yours. Carry it. _He didn't want to carry it. He didn't want to look at it or claim it. He didn't want to know he had an unstable mother who'd gotten rid of him to appease a goddess. No wonder Thalia had run away.

Then he remembered the Zeus cabin at Camp Half-Blood-that tiny alcove Thalia used as a bunk, out of sight from the glowering statue from the sky god. Their dad wasn't much of a bargain, either. Jason understood why Thalia had renounced that part of her life too, but he was still resentfull. He was left holding the bag-literally.

The golden backpack of the winds was strapped over his shoulders. The closer they got to Aeolus's palace, the heavier the bag got. The winds struggled, rumbling and bumping around.

The only one who seemed in a good mood was Coach Hedge. He kept bounding up the slippery staircase and trotting back down. "Come on, cupcakes! Only a few thousand more steps!"

As they climbed, Leo, Wisty, and Piper left Jason in silence. Maybe they could sense his bad mood. Piper kept glancing back, worried, as if he were the one who'd almost died of hypothermia rather than she. Or maybe she was thinking about Thalia's idea. They'd told her what Thalia had said on the bridge-how they could save both her dad and Hera-but Jason didn't really understand how they were going to do that, and he wasn't sure if the possibility had made Piper more and more hopeful or anxious.

Wisty was listening to her iPod, which had come from her thin book bag. When she had gotten it out, Jason saw that she had a lot more things in there than an ordinary book bag-a Macbook Air, three bags of Skittles, her silver Swiss army knife, two thick sketch books, four packs of drawing pencils, a brush, and a lot more things. But she would still glance back at Jason, study him as if he were a complicated math problem, then look away, worry in her eyes.

Leo kept swatting at his legs, checking for signs that his pants were on fire. He wasn't steaming anymore, but the incident on the ice bridge had really freaked Jason out. Leo hadn't seemed to realize that he had steam coming out of ears and flames dancing through his hair. If Leo spontaneously kept combusting every time he got excited, they were going to have a tough time taking him anywhere. Jason imagined getting food at a restaurant. _I'll have a cheeseburger and- Ahhh! My friend's on fire! Get me a bucket!_

Mostly, though, Jason worried about what Leo had said. Jason didn't want to be a bridge, or an exchange, or anything else. He just wanted to know where he'd come from. And Thalia had looked so unnerved when Leo mentioned the burned-out mansion in his dreams-the place the wolf Lupa had told him was his starting point. How did Thalia know that place, and why did she assume Jason could find it?

Finally they arrived at the top of the island. Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds, though Jason couldn't imagine who could possibly attack this place. Twenty-foot-high gates opened for them, and a road of polished purple stone led up to the main citadel-a white columned rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington DC-except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

"And there goes the heaven-feeling." Wisty said.

"That's bizarre," Piper said.

"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo said. "Dang, check out this guy's front yard."

The rotunda sat in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds were amazing in a scary way. They were divided into four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season.

The section to their right was an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew, so Jason wasn't sure they were decorations or alive.

To their left was an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew in patterns-gods, people, animals that ran after each other before scattering back to leaves.

In the distance, Jason could see two more areas behind the rotunda. One looked like a green pasture with sheep made of clouds. The last section was a desert where tumbleweeds scratched strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisement that read: _WATCH AEOLUS NIGHTLY! _

"One section for each of the four wind gods," Jason guessed. "Four cardinal directions."

"I'm loving that pasture." Coach Hedge licked his lips. "You guys mind-"  
>Jason was about to say he could go, but Wisty spoke, "Sure. I'll go with you." She turned to Jason, Piper, and Leo. "Can I? He might make one of the sheeps mad."<p>

Jason noticed she had that look in her eye that said she was sure that she'd be fine, but he could see a little bit of fear. But she had that joking quizzical look on her face.

"That's okay," Jason said, and Leo shot him a whiny look, but Jason ignored it. "Just come in when you're ready."

Wisty smiled, then turned and shouted at Hedge, who had taken off on all fours, "WATCH- oh gods, he broke a sheep."

Jason, Leo and Piper walked down the road to the steps of the palace. They passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer with purple banners that read OLYMPIAN WEATHER CHANNEL and some that just read OW!

"Hello!" A woman floated up to them. _Literally _floated. She was pretty in an elfish way Jason associated with nature spirits at Camp Half-Blood-petite, slightly pointed ears, and an ageless face that could've been sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion, shampoo-commercial style. Her white gown billowed around her like parachute material. Jason couldn't tell if she had feet, but if so, they didn't touch the floor. She had a white computer tablet in her hand. "Are you from Lord Zeus?" she asked. "We've been expecting you."

Jason tried to respond, but it was a little hard to think straight, because he'd realized the woman was see-through. Her shape faded in and out like she was made of fog.

"Are you a ghost?" he asked.

Right away, he knew he'd insulted her. The smile turned into a pout. "I'm an _aura_, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have _ghosts_."

Piper came to the rescue. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."

Wow, she's good. The compliment seemed a little over the top, but Mellie the aura blushed. "Oh… well, then. So you _are_ from Zeus?"

"Er," Jason said. "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."  
>"Excellent! Please, right this way." She led them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. She didn't look where she was going, but apparently it didn't matter as she drifted straight through a marble column with no problem. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good," she mused. "I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."<p>

"Um, okay," Jason said.

The lobby was a pretty distracting place. Winds blasted around them, so Jason felt like he was pushing through an invisible crowd. Doors blew open and slammed by themselves.

The things Jason _could_ see were just as bizarre. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes sped around, and other nymphs, _aurai_, would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold them, and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep going.

An ugly creature fluttered past. She looked like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids. She had a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human, plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It was amazing how she could fly at all. She kept drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.

"Not an _aura_?" Jason asked Mellie as the creature wobbled by.  
>Mellie laughed. "That's a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. Don't you have harpies on Olympus? They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us <em>aurai<em>. We're all gentle breezes."  
>She batted her eyes at Jason.<br>"'Course you are," he said.

"So," Piper prompted. "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"

Mellie led them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked.

"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie said cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Thirty Five-Jason

**Jason's jaw dropped. The central section **of Aeolus's fortress was as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floated randomly through the air-cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. And there was no floor. Leo almost fell into the chasm before Jason pulled him back.

"Holy-!" Leo gulped. "Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!"

An enormous circular pit plunged into the heart of the mountain. It was probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led straight outside. Jason remembered seeing winds blast out of them when they'd been on Pikes Peak. Other caves were sealed with some glistening material like glass or wax. The whole cavern bustled with harpies, _aurai_, and paper airplanes, but for someone who couldn't fly, it would be a very long, very fatal fall.

"Oh, my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry." She unclipped a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and spoke into it.

"Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."

A few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit-three dozen or so demon chicken ladies, all carrying squares of various building material. They went to work hammering and gluing-and using large quantities of duct tape, which didn't reassure Jason. In no time there was a makeshift floor snaking over the chasm. It was made of plywood, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod-just about anything.

"That can't be safe," Jason said.  
>"Oh, it is!" Mellie assured him. "The harpies are very good."<p>

Easy for her to say. She just drifted across without touching the floor, but Jason decided he had the best chance at surviving, since he could fly, so he stepped out first. Amazingly, the floor held.

Piper gripped his hand and followed him. "If I fall, you're catching me."  
>"Uh, sure." Jason hoped he wasn't blushing.<p>

Leo stepped out next. "You're catching me, too, Superman. But I ain't holding your hand."

Mellie led them toward the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floated around a kind of control center. A man hovered inside, checking the monitors and reading paper airplane messages.

The man paid them no attention as Mellie brought them forward. She pushed a forty-two-inch Sony out of the way and led them to the control area.

Leo whistled. "I _got _to get a room like this."

The floating screens showed all sorts of television programs. Some Jason recognized-news broadcasts, mostly-but some programs looked a little strange: gladiators fighting, demigods battling monsters. Maybe they were movies, but they looked more like reality shows.

At the far end of the sphere was a silky blue backdrop like a cinema screen, with cameras and studio lights floating around it.

The man in the center was talking into an earpiece phone. He had a remote control in each hand and pointing them at various screens, seemingly random.

He wore a business suit that looked like the sky-blue mostly, but dappled with clouds that changed and darkened and moved across the fabric. He looked like he was in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, but he had a ton of stage makeup on, and that smooth plastic surgery look on his face, so he appeared not really young, not really old, just _wrong_- like a Ken doll someone had halfway melted in a microwave. His eyes darted back and forth from screen to screen, like he was trying to absorb anything at once. He muttered things into his phone, and his mouth kept twitching. He was either amused, or crazy, or both.

Mellie floated up to him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, three demigods-"  
>"Hold it!" He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed to the screens. "Watch!"<p>

It was one of those storm-chaser programs, where insane thrill-seekers drive after tornados. As Jason watched, a Jeep plowed straight into a funnel cloud and got tossed into the sky.

Aeolus shrieked with delight. "The Disaster Channel. People do that _on purpose_!" He turned to Jason with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."

"Um, sir," Mellie said. "this is Jason, son of-"  
>"Yes, yes, I remember," Aeolus said. "You're back. How did it go?"<p>

Jason hesitated. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me-"  
>"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was-what-last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."<br>"I-I don't remember."

Aeolus laughed. "Must not have been a very good sea monster then! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus-gods, he was docked at my island for a month! At least you stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into-"

"Sir," Mellie interrupted. "Two minutes to air."  
>"Air!" Aeolus exclaimed. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!"<p>

Immediately a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descended on Aeolus. They blurred across his face in a cloud of flesh-tone smoke until his coloration was even more gruesome than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.

"Mr. Aeolus," Jason slipped off the golden backpack. "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."  
>"Did you!" Aeolus looked at the bag like it was a gift from a fan-something he didn't really want. "Well, how nice."<p>

Leo nudged him, and Jason offered the bag. "Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you'll accept them and stop-you know-ordering demigods to be killed."  
>Aeolus laughed, and looked at Mellie incredulously. "Demigods to be killed-did I order that?"<p>

Mellie checked her computer tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,' etc… yes, a general order for them all to be killed."  
>"Oh, pish," Aeolus said. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and, um, who's on duty-Teriyaki?-Teri, take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?"<p>

A harpy swooped out of nowhere, snatched the golden bag, and spiraled into the abyss.

Aeolus grinned at Jason. "Now, sorry, about that kill-on business. But gods, I was really mad, wasn't I?" His face suddenly darkened, and his suit did the same, the lapels flashed with lightning. "You know… I remember now. Almost like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle down on the back of my neck."

Jason tensed. A cold tingle on the back of his neck… Why did that sound so familiar? "A… um, voice in the back of your head, sir?"  
>"Yes. How odd. Mellie, <em>should <em>we kill them?"

"No, sir," she said patiently. "They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right."  
>"Of course." Aeolus laughed. "Sorry. Mellie, let's send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps."<br>"A box of chocolates to _every _demigod in the world, sir?"  
>"No, too expensive. Never mind. Wait, it's time! I'm on!"<br>Aeolus flew off towards the blue screen as newscast music started to play.

Jason looked at Piper and Leo, who seemed as confused as he was.

"Mellie," he said. "is he… always like that?"  
>She smiled sheepishly. "Well, you know what they say. If you don't like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression 'whichever the wind blows'-that was based on him."<p>

"And that thing about the sea monster," Jason said. "_Was _I here before?"  
>Mellie blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm Mr. Aeolus's new assistant. I've been here longer with him longer than most, but still-not that long."<p>

"How long do his assistants usually last?" Piper asked.  
>"Oh…" Mellie thought for a moment. "I've been doing this for… twelve hours?"<p>

A voice blared from floating speakers: "And now, weather every twelve minutes! Here's your forecaster for Olympian weather-the OW! Channel-Aeolus!"

Lights blazed on Aeolus, who was now standing in front of the blue screen. His smile was unnaturally white, and he looked like he'd had so much caffeine that his face was about to explode.

"Hello, Olympus! Aeolus, master of the winds here, with weather every twelve! We'll have a low-pressure system moving over Florida today, so expect milder temperatures since Demeter wishes to spare the citrus farmers!"

Suddenly, Jason heard a loud belch from toward the entrance. Coach Hedge, grass all over his face, was being dragged by Wisty, who had pieces of clouds in her hair across the makeshift floor.

Wisty saw Jason, Piper, and Leo and smiled nervously. "Um..." Her head turned sharply to Coach Hedge. "Would you stop that?"

Mellie saw them making their way across the makeshift floor and caught her breath. "Who is _that_?"

Jason stifled a cough. "That? That's just Coach Hedge, our…" Jason wasn't sure what to call him: _teacher, friend, problem_?  
>"Our guide."<p>

"He's _so _goatly," Mellie murmured.  
>From behind her, Piper poofed out her cheeks and pretended to vomit.<p>

"What's up, guys?" Hedge trotted over, getting away from Wisty's grip. "Wow, nice place. Oh, sod squares!"  
>Coach Hedge attempted to take a piece of the makeshift floor, but Wisty slapped his hand. "You've already ate half of that pasture. <em>Plus<em>," Wisty sighed, as if she were very annoyed. "You broke most of the sheep. No sod squares. Bad satyr, no sod squares."  
>From Jason's side, Leo stifled a laugh.<p>

"We're using the sod as the floor." Jason told Coach Hedge. "This is, ah, Mellie-"  
>"An <em>aura<em>," Coach Hedge smiled winningly. "Beautiful as a summer breeze."  
>Mellie blushed.<p>

"And Aeolus here is going to help us." Jason finished, and a millisecond later, the lights turned off, the video monitors went back to random coverage, and just for a moment, Aeolus's face sagged with weariness. Then he seemed to remember he had guests, and he put his smile back on.

"So, you brought be some rogue storm spirits," Aeolus said, noticing Wisty and Coach Hedge, but he didn't welcome them. "I suppose… thanks! And did you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do."

Mellie said, "Um, sir, this is Zeus's son."  
>"Yes, yes. I know that. I said I remembered him from before."<br>"But, sir, they're here from _Olympus_."

Aeolus looked stunned. Then he laughed so abruptly, Jason almost jumped into the chasm. "You mean you're here on behalf of your father this time? Finally! I _knew _they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!"  
>"Um, what?" Jason asked.<br>"Oh, thank goodness!" Aeolus laughed with relief. "It's been what, three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the wind. Not that I'm ungrateful, of course! But really, my contract is so vague. Obviously I'm immortal, but 'master of the winds.' What does that mean? Am I a nature spirit? A demigod? A god? I _want _to be the god of the winds, because the benefits are _so _much better. Can we start with that?"

Jason looked at his friends, mystified.

"Dude," Leo said. "you think we're here to promote you?"  
>"You are then?" Aeolus grinned. His business suit turned completely blue-not a cloud in the fabric. "Marvelous! I mean, I think I've shown quite a bit of initiative with the weather channel, eh? And of course I'm in the press all the time. So many books have been written about me: <em>Into Thin Air, Up in the Air, Gone with the Wind-<em>"

"Er-I don't think those are about you," Jason said, before he noticed Mellie shaking her head, and Wisty kicked him in the shin.

"Nonsense," Aeolus said. "Mellie, they're biographies about me, aren't they?"  
>"Absolutely, sir," she squeaked.<br>"There, you see? I don't read. Who has time?"

"I do." Jason heard Wisty growl under her breath, and Jason kicked her in the shin. Wisty gave him a murderous glare.

"So, we'll change my official title to _god _of the winds. Then, about salary and staff-"  
>"Sir," Jason said. "we're not from Olympus."<br>Aeolus blinked. "But-"  
>"I'm son of Zeus, yes," Jason said. "but we're not here to negotiate your contract. We're on a quest and we need your help."<p>

Aeolus's expression hardened, and Wisty took a small step back. "Like last time? Like _every _hero who comes here? Demigods! It's always about _you, _isn't it?"  
>"Sir, please, I don't remember last time, but if you helped me once before-"<p>

"I'm always helping! Well, sometimes I'm destroying, but mostly I'm helping, and sometimes I'm asked to do both at the same time! Why, Aeneas, the first of your kind-"  
>"My kind?" Jason asked. "You mean, demigods?"<p>

"Oh, please!" Aeolus said. "I mean your _line _of demigods. You know, Aeneas, son of Venus-the only surviving hero of Troy. When the Greeks burned down his city, he escaped to Italy, where he founded the kingdom that would eventually become Rome, blah, blah, blah. _That's _what I meant."  
>"I don't get it." Jason admitted.<p>

Aeolus rolled his eyes. "The point being, I was thrown in the middle of a conflict, too! Juno calls up: 'Oh, Aeolus, destroy Aeneas's ships for me. I don't like him.' Then Neptune says, "No, you don't! That's my territory. Calm the winds.' Then Juno is like, 'No, wreck his ships, or I'll tell Jupiter you're being uncooperative!' Do you think it's easy juggling requests like that?"  
>"No," Jason said. "I guess not."<p>

"And don't even get me started on Amelia Earhart! I'm _still _getting angry calls from Olympus for knocking _her _out of the sky!"

"We just want information," Piper said in her calmest voice. "We hear you know everything."  
>Aeolus straightened his lapels and looked slightly mollified. "Well… <em>that's <em>true, of course. For instance, I know that _this _business here-"He waggled his fingers at the five of them. "this harebrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed. As for you, Piper McLean, I know your father is in serious trouble." He held out his hand, and a scrap of paper fluttered into his grasp. It was a photo of Piper and a guy who must've been her dad. His face _did _look familiar. Jason was pretty sure he'd seen him in some movies.

Piper took the photo. Her hands were shaking. "This-this is from his wallet."  
>"Yes," Aeolus said. "All things lost in the wind eventually come to me. The photo blew away when the Earthborn captured him."<br>"The what?" Piper asked.

Aeolus waved aside the question and narrowed his eyes at Leo. "Now, _you_, son of Hephaestus… yes, I see your future."  
>Another paper fell into the god's hands-an old tattered drawing done in crayons.<p>

Leo took it as if it might be coated in poison. He staggered backwards.

"Leo?" Jason said. "What is it?"  
>"Something I-I drew when I was a kid." He folded it and quickly put it in his coat. "It's… yeah, it's nothing."<p>

Aeolus laughed. "Really? Just the key to your success! Now," His eyes zeroed in on Wisty, and his eyes lit up. "Yes, Wisteria, daughter of Hecate… you are a very interesting case."  
>"What?" Wisty asked.<br>"You have a bright future." A photo came into Aeolus's grasp. He snatched it, and Wisty's eyes grew wide. It was Wisty in a volleyball outfit, grinning and holding a huge trophy. She looked exhausted, but delighted.

"How'd you get that?" Wisty whispered, staring at the photo.  
>"When the car crashed, the picture flew out of the car. It came to me."<br>Wisty continued to stare at the picture, then she snatched it and put it into her book bag hastily.

"Now, where were we?" Aeolus smiled. "Ah, yes, you wanted information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information is dangerous."  
>He smiled at Jason like he was issuing a challenge. Behind him, Mellie shook her head in warning.<p>

"Yeah," Jason said. "We need to find the lair of Enceladus."  
>Aeolus's smile melted. "The giant? Why would you want to go there? He's horrible! He doesn't even watch my program!"<p>

Piper held up the photo. "Aeolus, he's got my father. We need to rescue him and find out where Hera is being held captive."  
>"Now, <em>that's <em>impossible," Aeolus said. "Even _I _can't see that, and believe me, I've tried. There's a veil of magic over Hera's location-very strong, impossible to locate."

"She's at a place called the Wolf House," Jason said.

"Hold on!" Aeolus put a hand to a forehead and closed his eyes. "I'm getting something! Yes, she's at a place called the Wolf House! Sadly, I don't know where that is."  
>"Enceladus does," Piper persisted. "If you could help us find him, we could get the location of the goddess-"<p>

"Yeah," Leo said, catching on. "And if we save her, she'd be really grateful to you-"  
>"And Zeus might promote you," Jason and Wisty finished in unison, and Coach added a winning smile to help.<p>

Aeolus's eyebrows crept up. "A promotion-and all you want from me is the giant's location?"  
>"Well, if you could get us there, too," Jason amended. "that would be great."<p>

Mellie clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh, he could do that! He often sends helpful-"  
>"Mellie, quiet!" Aeolus snapped. "I have half a mind to fire you for letting these people under false pretenses."<br>Her face paled. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

Wisty opened her mouth to object, but Hedge pinched her as a warning.

"It wasn't her fault," Jason said, and Wisty added, "Yeah. We lied about the Olympus thing! Now, help please?"

Aeolus tilted his head as if thinking. Then Jason realized the wind lord was listening to voices in his earpiece.

"Well… Zeus approves," Aeolus muttered. "He says… it would be better if you could avoid saving her until after the weekend, because he had a big party planned-Ow! That's Aphrodite yelling at him, reminding him that the solstice starts at dawn. She says I should help you. And Hephaestus… Hecate, also…yes. Hmm. Very rare they agree on anything. Hold on…"

Jason smiled at his friends. Finally, they were having some good luck. Their godly parents were standing up for them.

"Well, this is nice." Wisty said, her eyes looking surprisingly nervous.  
>"Yep." Leo agreed.<br>Piper nodded.

"Yes," the wind lord muttered. "It seems so. You'll find Enceladus on Mount Diablo."

"Devil Mountain?" Leo and Wisty asked in unison. "That doesn't sound good."  
>"I remember that place!" Piper said. "I went there once with my dad. It's just east of San Francisco Bay."<br>"The Bay Area again?" The coach shook his head. "Not good. Not good at all."

"Now…" Aeolus began to smile. "As getting you there-"

Suddenly his face went slack. He bent over and tapped his earpiece as if it were malfunctioning. When he straightened up again, his eyes were wild. Despite the makeup, he looked like an old man-an old, very frightened man. "She hasn't spoke to me for centuries. I can't-yes, yes I understand."

He swallowed, regarding Jason as if he had suddenly turned into a giant cockroach. "I'm sorry, son of Jupiter. Now orders. You all have to die."

Wisty's eyes flashed with sudden horror.

Mellie squeaked. "But-but, sir! Zeus said to help them! Aphrodite, Hephaestus-"  
>"Mellie!" Aeolus snapped. "Your job is already on the line. Besides, there are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially the forces of nature."<p>

"_Whose _orders?" Jason said. "Zeus will fire you if you don't help us!"

"I doubt it." Aeolus flicked his wrist, and far below them, a cell door opened in the pit. Jason could hear storm spirits screaming out of it, spiraling up toward them, howling for blood.

"Even Zeus understands the order of things," Aeolus said. "And if _she _is waking-by all the gods-she cannot be denied. Good-bye, heroes. I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to make this quick. I'm back on air in four minutes."

Jason summoned his sword. Coach Hedge pulled out his club. Wisty had Greek fire and purple sparks dancing across her fingertips. Mellie the aura yelled, "No!"

She dived for their feet just as the storm spirits hit with hurricane force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples and marble and linoleum into what should've been lethal projectiles, had Mellie's robes not spread out like a shield and absorbed the brunt of the impact. The six of them fell into the pit, and Aeolus screamed above them, "Mellie, you are _so _fired!"

"Quick," Mellie yelled. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power of the air?"  
>"A little!"<br>"Then help me, or you're all dead!" Mellie grabbed his hand, and an electrical charge went through Jason's arm. He understood what she needed. They had to control their fall and head for one of the open tunnels. The storm spirits followed them down, closing rapidly, bringing them a cloud of deadly shrapnel.

Jason grabbed Piper's hand. "Group hug!"

Hedge, Leo, Wisty and Piper tried to huddle together, hanging on to Jason and Mellie as they fell.

"This is NOT GOOD!" Leo yelled, and Wisty rolled her eyes.

"Bring it on, gas bags!" Hedge yelled up at the storm spirits. "I'll pulverize you!"  
>"He's magnificent," Mellie sighed.<br>"Concentrate?" Jason prompted.  
>"Right!" she said.<p>

They channeled the wind so their fall became more of a tumble into the nearest open chute. Still, they slammed into the tunnel at painful speed and went rolling over each other down a steep vent that was not designed for people. There was no way they could stop.

Mellie's robes billowed around her. Jason and the others clung onto her desperately, and they began to slow down, but the storm spirits were screaming into the tunnel behind them.

"Can't-hold-long," Mellie warned. "Stay together! When the winds hit-"  
>"You're doing great, Mellie," Hedge said. "My own mama was an <em>aura<em>, you know. She couldn't have done better herself."  
>"Iris-message me?" Mellie pleaded.<br>Hedge winked.

"Could you guys plan your date later?" Piper screamed. "Look!"

Behind them, the tunnel was turning dark. Jason could feel his ears pop as the pressure build.

"Can't hold them," Mellie warned. "But I'll try to shield you, do you one more favor."  
>"Thanks, Mellie," Jason said. "I hope you get a new job."<br>She smiled, and then dissolved, wrapping the, in a warm gentle breeze. Then the real winds hit, shooting them into the sky so fast, Jason blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Thirty Six-Piper

**Piper dreamed she was on the **Wilderness School roof.

The desert night was cold, but she'd brought blankets, and with Jason next to her, she didn't need any more warmth.

The air smelled of sage and burning mesquite. On the horizon, the Spring Mountains loomed like jagged black teeth, and the dim glow of Las Vegas behind them.

The stars were so bright, Piper had been afraid they wouldn't be able to see the meteor shower. She didn't want Jason to think she'd dragged him up here on false pretenses. (Even though her pretenses had been _totally _false.) But the meteors did not disappoint. One streaked across the sky almost every minute-a line of white, yellow, or blue fire. Piper was sure her Grandpa Tom would have some Cherokee myth to explain them, but at the moment she was trying to create her own story.

Jason took her hand-_finally_-and pointed as two meteors skipped across the atmosphere and formed a cross.

"Wow," he said. "I can't believe Leo didn't want to see this."  
>"Actually, I didn't invite him." Piper said casually.<br>Jason smiled. "Oh yeah?"  
>"Mm-hmm. You ever feel like three's a crowd?"<p>

"Yeah," Jason admitted. "Like right now. You know how much trouble we'd get in if we get caught up here?"  
>"Oh, I'd make up something up. I can be very persuasive. So you want to dance, or what?"<br>He laughed. His eyes were so amazing, and his smile was even better in the starlight. "With no music. At night. On a roof. Sounds dangerous."  
>"I'm a dangerous girl."<br>"That, I can believe."

He stood and offered her his hand. They slow danced a few steps, but it quickly turned into a kiss. Piper almost couldn't kiss him again, because she was too busy smiling.

Then her dream changed-or maybe she was dead in the Underworld-because she found herself back in Medea's department store.

"Please let this be a dream," she murmured. "and not my eternal punishment."  
>"No, dear," said a honey-sweet voice, and it reminded Piper of Wisty's voice a little. "No punishment."<p>

Piper turned, afraid she'd see Medea, but a different woman stood next to her, browsing through fifty-percent of the rack.

The woman was gorgeous-shoulder-length hair, a graceful neck, perfect features, and an amazing figure tucked into jeans and a snowy white top.

Piper had seen her share of actresses-most of her dad's dates were knockout beautiful-but this lady was different. She was elegant without trying, fashionable without effort, stunning without makeup- and she reminded Piper of Wisty, like this lady was a close twin of her. After seeing Aeolus with his silly face-lifts and cosmetics, Piper thought this woman was even more astonishing. There was nothing artificial about her.

Yet as Piper watched, the woman's appearance changed. Piper couldn't decide the color of her eyes, or the exact color of her hair. The woman became more and more beautiful, as if her image were aligning itself to Piper's thoughts-getting as close as possible to Piper's ideal of beauty- and once it looked like Wisty for a second.

"Aphrodite," Piper said. "Mom?"  
>The goddess smiled. "You're only dreaming, my sweet. If anyone wonders, I wasn't here. Okay?"<p>

"I-" Piper wanted to ask a thousand questions, but they all crowded together in her head.

Aphrodite held up a turquoise dress. Piper thought it looked awesome, but the goddess made a face. "This isn't my color, isn't it? Pity, it's cute. Medea really does have some lovely things here."

"This-this building exploded," Piper stammered. "I saw it."  
>"Yes," Aphrodite agreed. "I suppose that's why everything's for sale. Just a memory, now. And I'm sorry to pull you out of your other dream. Much more pleasant, I know."<p>

Piper's face burned. She didn't know whether she was more angry or embarrassed, but mostly she felt hollow with disappointment. "It wasn't real. It never happened. So why do I remember it so vividly?"

Aphrodite smiled. "Because you are my daughter, Piper. You see possibilities much more vividly than others. You can see what _could _be. And it still might be-don't give up. Unfortunately-" The goddess gestured around the department store. "You have other trials to face, first. Medea will be back, along with many other enemies. The Doors of Death have opened."

"What do you mean?"  
>Aphrodite winked at her. "You're a smart one, Piper. You know."<p>

A cold feeling settled over her. "The sleeping woman, the one Midas and Medea called their patron. She's managed to open a new entrance from the Underworld. She's letting the dead escape back into the world."  
>"Mhmm. And not just <em>any <em>dead. The worst, the most powerful, the ones most likely to hate the gods."

"The monsters are coming back from Tartarus the same way," Piper guessed. "That's why they don't stay disintegrated."  
>"Yes. Their <em>patron<em>, as you call her, has a special relationship with Tartarus, the spirit of the pit." Aphrodite held up a gold sequined top. "No… this would make me look ridiculous."

Piper laughed uneasily. "You? You can't look anything but perfect."  
>"You're sweet," Aphrodite said. "But beauty is about finding the right fit, the most natural fit. To be perfect, you have to feel perfect about yourself-avoid trying to be something you're not. For a goddess, that's especially hard. We can change so easily."<br>"My dad thought you were perfect." Piper's voice quavered. "He never got over you."

Aphrodite's gaze became distant. "Yes… Tristan. Oh, he was amazing. So gentle and kind, funny and handsome. Yet he had so much sadness inside."  
>"Could we please not talk about him in past tense?"<br>"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't want to leave your father, of course. It's always so hard, but it was for the best. If he had realized who I actually was-"  
>"Wait-he didn't <em>know <em>you were a goddess?"

"Of course not." Aphrodite sounded offended. "I wouldn't do that to him. For most mortals, that's simply too hard to accept. It can ruin their lives! Ask your friend Jason-_lovely _boy, by the way. His poor mother was destroyed when she found out she'd fallen in love with Zeus. No, it was much better Tristan believed it was a mortal women who left him without explanation. Better a bittersweet memory than an immortal, unattainable goddess. Which brings me to an important matter…"

She opened her hand and showed Piper a glowing glass vial of pink liquid. "This is one of Medea's kinder mixtures. It erases only recent memories. When you save your father, _if _you can save him, you should give him this."

Piper couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You want me to dope my dad? You want me to make him forget what he's been through?"

Aphrodite held up the vial. The liquid cast a pink glow over her face. "Your father acts confident, Piper, but walks a fine line between two different worlds. He's worked his whole life to deny the old stories about the gods and spirits, yet he fears those stories might be real. He fears that he's shut off an important part of himself, and someday might destroy him. Now he's been captured by a giant. He's living a nightmare. Even if he survives… if he has to spend the rest of his life with those memories, knowing gods and spirits walk the earth, it will shatter him. That's what our enemy hopes for. She will break him, thus break your spirit."

Piper wanted to shout that Aphrodite was wrong. Her dad was the strongest person she knew. Piper would never take his memories the way Hera had taken Jason's.

But somehow she couldn't stay angry at Aphrodite. She remembered what her dad had said months ago, at the beach at Big Sur: _If I really believed in the Ghost Country, or animal spirits, or Greek gods… I don't think I could sleep at night. I'd always be looking for someone to blame.  
><em>Now Piper wanted someone to blame, too.

"Who is she?" Piper demanded. "The one controlling the giants?"

Aphrodite pursed her lips. She moved to the next rack, which held battered armor and ripped togas, but Aphrodite looked through them as if they were designer outfits.

"You have a strong will," she mused. "I'm never given much credit among the gods. My children are laughed at. They're dismissed as conceited and shallow."  
>"Some of them are."<p>

Aphrodite laughed. "Granted. Perhaps I'm conceited and shallow, too, sometimes. A girl has to indulge. Oh, this is nice." She picked up a burned and stained bronze breastplate for Piper to see. "No?"

"No," Piper said. "Are you going to answer my question?"  
>"Patience, my sweet," the goddess said. "My point is that love is the most powerful motivator in the world. It spurs mortals to greatness. Their noblest, bravest acts are done for love."<p>

Piper pulled out her dagger and studied its reflective blade. "Like Helen starting the Trojan War?"

"Ah, Katoptris," Aphrodite smiled. "I'm glad you found it. I get so much flack for that war, but honestly, Paris and Helen were a cute couple. And heroes of that war are immortal now-at least in the memories of men. Love is powerful, Piper. It can bring even the gods to their knees. I told this to my son Aeneas when he escaped Troy. He thought he had failed. He thought he was a loser! But he traveled to Italy-"  
>"And became the forebear of Rome."<br>"Exactly. You see, Piper, my children can be quite powerful. _You _can be quite powerful, because my lineage is unique. I am closer to the beginning of creation than any other Olympian."

Piper struggled to remember about Aphrodite's birth. "Didn't you… rise from the sea? Standing on a seashell?"

The goddess laughed. "That painter Botticelli had quite an imagination. I never stood on a seashell, thank you very much. But yes, I rose from the sea. The first beings to rise from Chaos were the Earth and Sky-Gaea and Ouranos. When their son the Titan Kronos killed Ouranos-"  
>"By chopping him to pieces with a scythe," Piper remembered.<p>

Aphrodite crinkled her nose. "Yes. The pieces of Ouranos fell into the sea. His immortal essence created sea foam. And from that foam-"  
>"You were born. I remember now. So you're-"<br>"The last child of Ouranos, who was greater than the gods or the Titans. So, in a strange way, I'm the eldest Olympian god. As I said, love is a powerful force. And you, my daughter, are much more than a pretty face. Which is why you already know who is waking the giants, and who has the power to open doors into the deepest parts of the earth."

Aphrodite waited, as if she could sense Piper slowly putting together the pieces of a puzzle, which made a dreadful picture.

"Gaea," Piper said. "The earth itself. That's our enemy."

She hoped Aphrodite would say no, but the goddess kept her eyes on the rack of tattered armor. "She has slumbered for eons, but she is slowly waking. Even in her sleep, she is powerful, but once she wakes… we will be doomed. You must defeat the giants before that happens, and lull Gaea back into her slumber. Otherwise the rebellion has only begun. Monsters will regenerate with even greater speed. The giants will lay waste to the birthplace of the gods. And if they do that, all civilization will burn."  
>"But <em>Gaea<em>? Mother Earth?"

"Do not estimate her," Aphrodite warned. "She is a cruel decity. She orchestrated Ouranos's death. _She _gave Kronos the sickle and urged him to kill his own father. While the Titans ruled the world, she slumbered in peace. But when the gods overthrew them, Gaea woke again in all anger and gave birth to a new race-the giants-to destroy Olympus once and for all."

"And it's happening again," Piper said. "The rise of the giants."  
>Aphrodite nodded. "Now you know. What will you do?"<br>"Me?" Piper clenched her fists. "What am I supposed to do? Put on a pretty dress and sweet-talk Gaea into going back to sleep?"

"I wish that could work," Aphrodite said. "But no, you will have to find your own strengths, and fight for what you love. Like my favored ones, Helen and Paris. Like my son Aeneas."  
>"Helen and Paris died," Piper said.<br>"And Aeneas became a hero," the goddess continued. "The first great hero of Rome. The result will depend on you, Piper, but I will tell you this: the seven greatest demigods must be gathered to defeat the giants, and that effort will not succeed without you. When the two sides meet… you will be the mediator. You will determine whether there is friendship or bloodshed."  
>"What two sides?"<p>

Piper's vision began to dim.

"You must wake soon, my child," said the goddess. "I do not always agree with Hera, but she's taken a bold risk, and I agree it must be done. Zeus has kept the two sides apart for too long. Only together will you have the power to save Olympus. Now, wake, and I hope you like the clothes I picked out."  
>"What clothes?" Piper demanded, but the dream faded to black.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Thirty Seven-Piper

**Piper woke at a table at a sidewalk café. **

For a second, she thought she was still dreaming. It was a sunny morning. The air was brisk but not unpleasant for sitting outside. At other tables, a mix of bicyclist, business people, and college kids sat chatting and drinking coffee.

She could smell eucalyptus trees. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of the quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottle-bush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter were a foreign concept.

In other words: she was in California.

Her friends sat in chairs all around her-all of them with their hands folded calmly folded across their chests, dozing pleasantly. And they all had new clothes on. Piper looked down at her own outfit and gasped, "Mother!"

She yelled it louder than she meant. Jason flinched, bumping the table with his knees, and then all of them were awake.

"What?" Hedge demanded.  
>Wisty squeaked.<br>"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No-not falling. Where are we?"

Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on Piper and made a little choking sound. "What are you wearing?"

Piper probably blushed. She was wearing the turquoise dress she'd seen in her dream, with black leggings and black leather boots. She had on her favorite silver charm bracelet, even though she'd left that back home in LA, and her snowboarding jacket from her dad, which amazingly went with the outfit pretty well. She pulled out Katoptris, and judging from her reflection, she'd gotten her hair done, too.

"It's nothing," she said. "It's my-" She remembered Aphrodite's warning not to mention that they'd talked. "It's nothing."

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen."

"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm, "You look at yourself recently?"  
>"What… oh."<p>

Wisty bursted out laughing. All of them had been given a makeover. Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

"God, Leo," Piper tried not to laugh, but Wisty's howling was tempting. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."  
>"Hey, shut up!"<p>

"I think he looks good," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."

The satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-toned shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored hat, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation on his lapel, which he sniffed then ate.

"No," Wisty giggled, not laughing anymore. "You're a pastel nightmare! Oh, god!"

All eyes turned on her, and Leo caught his breath. She wore a red-orange top, a denim mini-skirt that went to her mid-thighs, black laced leggings, black beckett ankle boots, a tan fedora fashion hat over her curled hair, a golden Greek style bracelet with amber, jade and sapphire, and she had light pink lipstick on her nice lips.

"Well," Jason said. "At least your mom overlooked me."

Piper knew that wasn't exactly true. Looking at him, her heart did a little tap dance. Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple t-shirt, like he'd worn at the Grand Canyon. He had new track shoes on, and his hair was newly trimmed. His eyes were the same color as the sky. Aphrodite's message was clear: _This one needs no improvement.  
><em>And Piper agreed.

"Anyway," she said uncomfortably. "how did we get here?"  
>"Oh, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I guess. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift-a nice soft breeze-cushioned our fall."<p>

"And she got fired because of us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."  
>"You suck." Wisty told him, looking at him, with a teasing grin.<br>"You do more!" Leo told her.  
>"Nah," she said calmly. "I'm pretty sure you do." Wisty looked at everyone. "Am I right? Am I right?"<br>No response.

Wisty leaned back in her chair.

"Ah, she'll be fine," Hedge said. "Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one _aura _I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."

"Disgusting!" Wisty said. "That's just gross, Coach Hedge. Just gross."

"I'm gonna be sick," Piper said. "Anyone else want coffee?"  
>"Coffee!" Hedge's grin was stained blue from the flower. "I love coffee!"<p>

"Um-" Jason said. "but-money? Our packs?"

Piper looked down. Their packs were at their feet, and everything seemed to still be there. She reached into her coat pocket and felt two things she hadn't expected. One was a wad of cash. The other was a glass vial-the amnesia potion. She left the vial and pulled out the money.

Leo whistled. "Allowance? Piper, you're mom rocks!"

"Waitress!" Hedge called. "Seven double espressos, and whatever these guys want. Put it on the girl in turquoise's tab."

It didn't take them long to figure out where they were. The menus said "Café Verve, Walnut Creek, CA." And according to the waitress, it was 9 am, on December 21, the winter solstice, which gave them three hours until Enceladus's deadline.

They didn't have to wonder where Mount Diablo was, either. They could see it in the horizon, right at the end of the street. After the Rockies, Mount Diablo didn't look very large, nor was it covered in snow. It seemed down-right peaceful, its golden creases marbled with gray-green trees. But size was deceptive with mountains, Piper knew. It was probably much bigger up close. And appearances were deceptive too. Here they were-back in California-supposedly her home- with sunny skies, mild weather, laid-back people, and a plate of chocolate-chip scones with coffee. And only a few miles away, somewhere on that peaceful, a powerful, super-evil giant was about to have her father for lunch.

Leo pulled something out of his pocket-the old crayon drawing Aeolus had given him. Aphrodite must've thought it was important if she'd magically transferred it to his new outfit.

"What is that?" Piper asked.  
>Leo folded it up gingerly again and put it away. "Nothing. You don't want to see my kindergarten artwork."<br>"It's more than that," Jason guessed. "Aeolus said it was the key to your success."

Piper glanced at Wisty randomly. She was picking at her scone, looking down at it painfully, and she was humming something. Piper decided to leave Wisty to her peaceful moment.

Piper turned back to Leo, who shook his head. "Not today. He was talking about… later."  
>"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.<br>"Trust me," Leo said. "Now-what's our game plan?"

Coach Hedge belched. He'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. He would've eaten the silverware, except Piper had slapped his hand.

"Climb the mountain," Hedge said. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."  
>"Thank you, General Eisenhower," Jason grumbled.<br>"Hey, I'm just saying!"

"Guys," Piper said. "There's more you need to know."

It was tricky, because she couldn't mention her mom; but she told them she'd figured out some things in her dreams. She told them about their real enemy: Gaea.

"Gaea?" Leo shook his head. "Isn't that Mother Nature? She's supposed to have, like, fl-"  
>"Like," Wisty told him in an annoying high pitched voice.<br>"Shut up," Leo told her, then he continued. "Flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and rabbits doing her laundry."

"Leo, that's Snow White," Piper said.  
>"Okay, but-"<p>

"Listen, cupcake." Coach Hedge dabbed the espresso out of his goatee. "Piper's telling us some serious stuff, here. Gaea's no softie. I'm not even sure _I _could take her."  
>Leo whistled. "Really?"<br>Hedge nodded. "This earth lady-she and her old man the sky were nasty customers."

To totally match the situation, Wisty was laughing. It wasn't helping Piper's uneasy and frightened feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Ouranos," Piper said. She couldn't help looking up at the blue sky, wondering if it had eyes.

"Right," Hedge said. "So Ouranos, he's not the best dad. He throws their first kids, the Cyclopes, into Tartarus. That makes Gaea mad, but she bides her time. They have another set of kids-the twelve Titans-and Gaea is afraid they'll get thrown into prison too. So she goes up to her son Kronos-"  
>"The big bad dude," Leo said. "The one they defeated last summer."<br>"Right. And Gaea's the one who gives them the scythe, and tells him, 'Hey, why don't I call your dad down here? And while he's talking to me, distracted, you can cut him to pieces. Then you can take over the world. Wouldn't that be great?"

Nobody said anything, even Wisty was dead silent. Piper's chocolate chip scone didn't look so appetizing anymore. Even though she'd heard the story before, she still couldn't quite get her mind around it. She tried to imagine a kid so messed up, he would kill his own dad just for power. Then she imagined a mom so messed up, she would convince her son to do it.

"Definitely not Snow White," she and Wisty decided in unison.  
>"Nah, Kronos was a bad guy," Hedge said. "But Gaea is literally the <em>mother <em>of all bad guys. She's so old and powerful, so _huge_, that it's hard for her to be fully conscious. Most of the time, she sleeps, and that's the way we like her-snoring."

"But she talked to me," Leo said, and Wisty's eyes widened a little. "How can she be asleep?"

Gleeson brushed crumbs off his canary yellow lapel. He was on his sixth espresso now, and his pupils were as big as quarters. "Even in her sleep, part of her consciousness is active-dreaming, keeping watch, doing little things like causing volcanoes to explode and monsters rising. Even now, she's not fully awake. Believe me, you don't want to see her fully awake."

"But she's getting more powerful," Piper said. "She's causing the giants to rise. And if their king comes back-the guy Porphyrion-"  
>"He'll raise an army and destroy the gods," Jason put in. "Starting with Hera. It'll be another war. And Gaea will wake up fully."<p>

Gleeson nodded. "Which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off ground as much as possible."

Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. "So… climbing a mountain. That would be bad."

Piper's heart sank. First, she'd been asked to betray her friends (Even her new one, Wisty.). Now they were trying to help rescue her dad even though they knew they were walking into a trap. The idea of fighting a giant had been scary enough. But the idea that Gaea was behind it-a force more powerful than any god or Titan…

"Guys, I can't ask you to do this," Piper said. "This is too dangerous."  
>"You kidding?" Gleeson belched and showed them his blue carnation smile. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Thirty Eight-Leo

**Leo hoped the taxi would take them **all the way to the top.

No such luck. The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure." Leo was the first one out. He had a bad feeling about what was wrong with the cab, and when he looked down he saw he was right. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand. Not fast-just enough to make the driver think he had a transmission problem or a bad axel-but Leo knew different.

The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already Leo's shoes were starting to sink.  
>Gaea was messing with them.<p>

While his friends got out, Leo paid the cabbie. He was generous-heck, why not? It was Aphrodite's money. Plus, he had a feeling he might never be coming back down this mountain.

"Keep the change," he said. "And get out of here. Quick."  
>The driver didn't argue. Soon they could all see was his dust trail.<p>

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns-grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these people had normal lives-the kind Leo had never known.

"That's Concord," Jason pointed north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way…"

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason," Piper touched his arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"  
>"Yes… no." He gave her an anguished look. "It just seems important."<p>

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we can get."

But Jason looked toward at the foggy basin with such longing that Leo felt uneasy. Why did Jason seem so connected with that place-a place Hedge said was evil, full of bad magic and old enemies? What if Jason came here? Everybody kept hinting Jason was an enemy, that his arrival at Camp Half-Blood was a dangerous mistake.

No, Leo thought. Ridiculous. Jason was their friend.

Leo tried to move his foot, but his heels were now completely embedded in the dirt.

"Hey, guys," he said. "Let's keep moving."  
>The others noticed the problem.<p>

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted, and was about to say, "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?" but Wisty snatched them from Leo's arms and chucked them down the mountainside.

"Who cares about shoes right now?" she asked Hedge. "We have more important things to worry about-like rescuing Piper's dad."  
>"I LIKED THOSE SHOES!" Coach whined, but Wisty ignored him.<p>

"Anyway," Piper said awkwardly. "Where is the giant?"

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Leo had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry.

The Wilderness School had taken Leo on several forced marches. He thought he was in good shape. But climbing a mountain where the earth was trying to swallow his feet was like jogging on a flypaper treadmill.

In no time, Leo had rolled up the sleeves on his collarless shirt, even though the wind was cold and sharp. He wished Aphrodite had given him walking shorts and some more comfortable shoes, but he was grateful for the Ray-Bans that kept the sun out of his eyes. He slipped his hands into his tool belt and started summoning supplies-gears, a tiny wrench, some strips of bronze. As he walked, he built-not really thinking about it, just fiddling with the pieces.

By the time they neared the crest of the mountain, Leo was the most fashionably dressed sweaty, dirty hero ever. His hands were covered in machine grease.

"You made that without looking?" Wisty asked him quietly. Leo looked over at her. Her shoes were covered in mud, the knees on her leggings were ripped and her knees were scraped and muddy, and she had goose bumps on her arms. But she still looked as dazzling as ever.

Leo glanced back down at the tiny object he'd made-a windup toy like the one that rattles and walks across a coffee table. He wasn't sure what he would do with it, but he slipped it into his tool belt and answered, "Yeah."

Wisty just showed a small smile then turned her attention back to the mountain.

He missed his army jacket with all its pockets. Even more than that, he missed Festus. He could use a fire-breathing bronze dragon right now. But Leo knew Festus would not be coming back-at least, not in his old form.

He patted the picture in his pocket-the crayon drawing he'd made at the picnic table under the pecan tree when he was five years old. He remembered Tia Callida singing as he worked, and how upset he'd been when the winds had snatched the picture away. _It isn't time yet, little hero, _Tia Callida had told him. _Someday, yes. You'll have your quest. You will find your destiny, and your hard journey will finally make sense. _

Now Aeolus had returned the picture. Leo knew that meant his destiny was getting close; but the journey was as frustrating as this stupid mountain. Every time Leo thought they'd reached the summit, it turned out to be just another ridge with even a higher one behind it.

First things first, Leo told himself. Survive today. Figure out crayon drawing of destiny later.

Finally Jason crouched behind a wall of rock. He gestured for the others to do the same. Wisty and Leo crawled up next to him. Piper had to pull Coach Hedge down.

"I don't want to get my outfit dirty!" Hedge complained.  
>"Shhh!" Piper said.<br>Reluctantly, the satyr knelt.

Wisty's mouth dropped. "Oh…my…god. Look at that guy! Seriously, he needs a serious extreme makeover."  
>Piper shushed her.<p>

Just over the ridge where they were hiding, in the shadow of the mountain's final crest, was a forested depression about the size of a football field, where the giant Enceladus had set camp.

Trees had been cut down to make a towering purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment-an earthmover, a big crane thing with rotating blades at the end like an electric shaver-must be a tree harvester, Leo thought-and a long metal column with an axe blade, like a sideways guillotine-a hydraulic ax.

Why a giant needed construction equipment, Leo wasn't sure. He didn't see how the creature in front of him could even fit in the driver's seat. The giant Enceladus was so large, so horrible, Leo didn't want to look at him.  
>But he forced himself to focus on the monster.<p>

To start with, he was thirty feet tall-easily as tall as the tree tops. Leo was sure the giant could've seen them behind the ridge, but he seemed intent on the weird purple bonfire, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up, the giant appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were completely ripped. Each of his biceps was bigger than Leo. His skin was bronze but sooty with ash. His face was crudely shaped, like a half-finished clay figure, but his eyes glowed white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down his shoulders, braided in bones.

"And some surgery on his legs." Wisty muttered.

From the waist down, he was even more terrifying. His legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet-like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand, Enceladus held a spear that was the size of a flagpole ("I want one of those!" Wisty had said.). Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.

"Okay," Coach Hedge whispered. "Here's the plan-"  
>Leo elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"<br>"Aw, c'mon!"

Piper choked back a sob. "Look."

Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head slumped like he was unconscious, so Leo couldn't make out his face, but Piper didn't seem to have any doubts.

"Dad," she said.

Wisty squinted, looking at Piper's dad. "Wait… is that _Tristan McLean_?"  
>Piper nodded.<br>Wisty looked stunned. "Dude, you didn't tell me that he was your dad! Awesome!"

Leo swallowed. He wished this were a Tristan McLean movie. Then Piper's dad would be faking unconsciousness. He'd untie his bonds and knock out the giant with some clever hidden anti-giant gas. Heroic music would start to play, and Tristan McLean would make his amazing escape, running away in slow motion while the mountain exploded behind him.

But this wasn't a movie. Tristan McLean was half dead and about to be eaten. The only people who could stop it-four fashionably dressed demigods and a megalomaniac goat.

"There's five of us," Hedge whispered urgently. "And only one of him."  
>"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" Leo and Wisty asked in unison.<p>

"Okay," Hedge said. "So you, me, Wisty and Jason distract him. Piper sneaks around and frees her dad."  
>They all looked at Jason.<p>

"What?" Jason asked. "I'm not the leader."  
>"Yes," Piper said. "You are."<p>

They'd never talked about it, but no one disagreed, not even Hedge. Coming this far had been a team-effort-even including a new member at random-but when it came to a life-or-death decision, Leo knew Jason was the one to ask. Even if he had no memory, Jason had a kind of balance to him. You could just tell he'd been in battles before, and he knew how to keep his cool. Leo wasn't exactly the trusting type, but he trusted Jason with his life.

"I haven't been on this quest for long," Wisty said. "But I'm saying that Jason, you _are _the leader. So step up your game and say yes or no to Mr. Pastel's strategy."  
>"N-"Piper clamped her hand over Coach Hedge's mouth before he could complain.<p>

"I hate to say it," Jason sighed. "but Coach Hedge is right. A distraction is Piper's best chance."

Not a good chance, Leo thought. Not even a survivable chance. Just their _best _chance.

They couldn't just sit and talk about it, though. It had to be close to noon-the giants deadline-and the ground was still trying to pull them down. Leo's knees had already sunk two inches into the dirt.

Leo looked at the construction equipment and got a crazy idea. He brought out the little toy he'd made on the climb, and he realized what it could do-_if _he was lucky, which he almost never was.

"Let's boogie," he said. "Before I come to my senses."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Thirty Nine-Leo

**The plan went wrong almost immediately. **Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, while Leo, Wisty, Jason and Coach Hedge walked straight into the clearing.

Jason summoned his golden lance. He brandished it over his head and yelled, "Giant!" Which sounded pretty good, and a lot more confident than Leo could've managed. He was thinking more along the lines of, "We are pathetic ants! Don't kill us!"

Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward them and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber-tooth tigers, which made Wisty whisper, "When's the last time he's been to the dentist?"

"Well," the giant rumbled. "What a nice surprise."

Leo didn't like the sound of that. His hand closed on his windup gadget. He stepped sideways, edging his way toward the bulldozer.

Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plat my hoof right up your-"  
>"Coach," Jason and Wisty said in unison. "Shut up."<p>

Enceladus roared with laughter. "I've forgotten how funny satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat all the other mortals."

"Is that a compliment?" Hedge frowned at Leo, and Wisty palm-slapped her forehead hopelessly. "I don't think that was a compliment."

Enceladus opened his mouth wide, and his teeth began to glow.

"Scatter!" Leo yelled.

Jason and Hedge dove to the left as the giant blew fire. With horror, Leo suddenly realized Wisty hadn't moved as he dodged behind the bulldozer.

"Wisty!" he screamed.

She just glared at the fire, then she said, loud and clear, "_Glacies_." The furnace blast froze as a golden light swirled around Wisty, and ice spread across the fire. It thudded to the ground, a huge chunk of ice an inch away from Wisty.

Leo stared at her in disbelief. "W-W-Wisty?"

Enceladus looked outraged. "You are a Hecate child?"  
>Wisty looked at the giant. "<em>Etiam, quod ego sum iens ut kick vestri piginus butt tergum ut abyssus.<em>"

Jason's mouth dropped. "Wisty!"  
>She looked at Jason with a wide grin. "Hey, I had to let it out."<br>"Still!"

Leo remembered he had to move quickly. He wound up his homemade device and dropped it into the driver's seat. Then he ran to the right, heading for the tree harvester.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jason rise and charged the giant. Wisty ran behind the extra logs, jumping over large logs like an athlete as she made her way over. Coach Hedge ripped off his canary yellow jacket, which was now on fire, and bleated angrily, "I _liked _that outfit!" Then he raised his club and charged, too.

Before they could get very far, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground. The entire mountain shook.

The shockwave sent Leo sprawling. He blinked, momentarily stunned. Through a haze of grassfire and bitter smoke, he saw Jason staggering to his feet on the other side of the clearing. Wisty was in the tree harvester seat, her hat off and her head bleeding, and she looked furious. Coach Hedge was knocked out cold. He'd fallen forward and hit his head on a log. His furry hindquarters were sticking straight up, with his canary yellow pants around his knees-a view Leo really didn't need.

The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes to Leo's right. Piper ran into the clearing like a flushed quail, the underbush burning behind her.

Enceladus laughed. "I'm happy to you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes!"

Leo's gut twisted. This was the moment Piper had warned them about. They'd played right into Enceladus's hands.

The giant must've read Leo's expression, because he laughed even louder. "That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you to survive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean had sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"

Leo could see Piper's dad more clearly now. He wore a ragged dress shirt and torn slacks. His bare feet were caked with mud. He wasn't completely unconscious, because he lifted his head and groaned-yep, Tristan McLean all right. Leo had seen that face in enough movies. But he had a nasty cut down the side of his face, and he looked thin and sickly-not heroic at all.

"Dad!" Piper yelled.

Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes…? Where…?"

Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. "Let him go!"  
>"Of course, dear." The giant rumbled. "Swear your royality to me, and we have no problem. Only these others must die."<p>

Piper looked back and forth between Leo and her dad.

"He'll kill you," Leo warned. "Don't trust him!"  
>"Yeah," Wisty groaned. "Don't."<p>

"Oh, come on now," Enceladus bellowed. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us for a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the _anti_-Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren-I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"

Jason was on his feet now, lance ready; but before he could act, Enceladus roared-a call so loud it echoed all the way to San Francisco.

At the edge of the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creatures rose up. Leo realized when nauseating certainty that they simply hadn't been hiding there. They'd risen straight out of the earth.

The ogres shuffled forward. They were small compared to Enceladus, about seven feet tall. Each one of them had six arms-one pair in the regular spot, then an extra pair sprouting out the top of their shoulders, and another set shooting from the sides of their rib cages. They wore only ragged leather loincloths, and even across the clearing, Leo could smell them. Six guys who never bathed, with six armpits each. Leo decided if he survived this day, he'd have to take a three-hour shower to forget the stench.

"Ever heard of a _shower_?" Wisty grumbled from next to him suddenly. Leo almost jumped out of his skin. She had a long scar across the right side of her face, and dried blood stuck in her hair. Gorgeous.

Leo stepped forward to Piper. "What-what are those?"  
>Her blade reflected the purple light of the bonfire.<p>

"Gengees."  
>"In English?" Leo asked.<br>"The Earthborn," she said. "Six-armed giants who fought Jason-the _first _Jason."

"Very good, my dear!" Enceladus sounded delighted. "They used to live in a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment-"

"Vroom, vroom!" one of the Earthborn bellowed, and others took up the chant, each moving their six hands as though they were driving a car, as if it were some kind of weird religious ritual.

"Wow, my life just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Wisty muttered.

"Yes, thank you, boys," Enceladus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."

"Yay-son!" the Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands, turning into nasty-pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"

Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, _try _to save your friends and face certain death."

Piper stepped forward. Her eyes blazed with such rage, even the Earthborn backed away. She radiated power and beauty, but it had nothing to do with her clothes or makeup.

"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."

Her words rippled across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered, "Okay. Okay, sorry." and began to retreat.

"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been useful to us. But as you wish. Earthborn! I will show you Jason."

Leo's heart sank. But the giant didn't point to Jason. He pointed to the other side of the bonfire, where Tristan McLean hung helpless and half conscious.

"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"

Leo's biggest surprise: One look from Jason and all four of them knew the game plan. When had that happened, that they could read each other so well, even for one who was only there three days?

Jason charged at Enceladus, while Piper rushed to her father, Leo dashed to the harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn, and Wisty ran to meet the ogres to protect Piper and Leo.

The Earthborn were fast, but Leo and Wisty ran like storm spirits. Leo leaped toward the harvester from five feet away and slammed into the driver's seat. His hands flew across the controls, and the machine responded with unnatural speed-coming to life as if it knew how important this was.

Wisty was yelling words like, "_Abeo, congelo, cado, lapsus, tergiversatio." _and the Earthborn would freeze in mid-run, run backwards and they would crash into a log and melt into clay, they would melt randomly, and a bunch of other things.

"Ha!" Leo screamed, and swung the crane arm through the bonfire, toppling burning logs onto the remaining Earthborn and spraying sparks everywhere. Two giants went down under a fiery avalanche and melted back into the earth-hopefully to stay awhile.

The other four ogres stumbled across burning logs and hot coals while Leo brought the harvester around. He smashed a button, and on the end of the crane arm the wicked rotating blades began to whir.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Piper at the stake, cutting her father free, and Wisty dashing to meet her. On the other side of the clearing, Jason fought the giant, somehow managing to dodge his massive spear and blasts of fire breath. Coach Hedge was still heroically passed out with his goat tail sticking up in the air.

The whole side of the mountain would soon be ablaze. The fire wouldn't bother Leo, but if his friends got trapped-No. He had to act quickly.

One of the Earthborn-apparently not the intelligent one-charged at the tree harvester, and Leo swung the crane arm in his direction. As soon as the blades touched the ogre, he dissolved like wet clay and splattered all over the clearing. Most of him flew into Leo's face.

He spit clay out of his mouth and turned the harvester toward the three remaining Earthborn, who backed up quickly.

"Bad vroom-vroom!" one of them yelled.  
>"Yeah, that's right!" Leo yelled at them. "You want some bad vroom-vroom? Come on!"<p>

Unfortunately, they did. Three ogres with six arms, each throwing large, hard rocks at super speed- and Leo knew it was over. Suddenly, like he was a puppet, he got launched out of the harvester half a second before a boulder demolished the driver's seat and landed on his back behind it.

"Need some help?" Wisty yelled from above him.  
>"Did you do that?" Leo managed.<br>"Sure did. Now c'mon! You should use the dozer next! Bye!"  
>Wisty quickly hauled him up and zoomed back to Piper like a graceful, dazzling storm spirit.<br>Wait-are storm spirits dazzling? Leo didn't think so.

The ogres were picking up more clumps of earth, but this time they were glaring in Piper and Wisty's direction.

Thirty feet away, the bulldozer roared to life. Leo's makeshift gadget had done its job, burrowing into the earthmover's controls and giving it a temporary life of its own. It roared toward the enemy.

Just as Piper cut her father free and Wisty and Piper caught him in their arms, the giants launched their second volley of stones. The dozer swiveled in the mud, skidding to intercept, and most of the rocks slammed into its shovel. The force was so great it pushed the dozer back.

Suddenly, a roar came from behind the dozer and a gigantic Bengal tiger leaped out. As two rocks ricocheted and struck their throwers, hot fire blew out of the tiger's mouth and the ogres and boulders flickered with flames.

"YES!" Wisty cried in victory, her arms above her head. "Go tiger, go tiger! Oh yeah, uh-huh!"

The victory didn't last. The last Earthborn smacked the tiger when it attempted to bite, and the tiger landed in the bonfire.

"NO!" Wisty screamed at the Earthborn. "YOU JERK-FACE!"

The Earthborn ignored her screaming, and zoomed in on Piper, who was dragging her father to the bridge. The Earthborn charged.

Leo was out of tricks, but he couldn't let that monster get to Piper. He glanced at Wisty, and she nodded.

They ran forward, summoned something to get the giant's attention.

"Hey, stupid!" They yelled and threw screwdrivers at it.

It didn't kill the ogre, but it sure got his attention. The screwdrivers sunk hilt-deep into the Earthborn's forehead like he was made of Play-Doh.

The Earthborn yelped in pain and skittered to a stop. He pulled out the screwdrivers at once, turned and glared at the two companions. Sadly, this last ogre looked like the biggest and nastiest of the bunch. Gaea had really gone all out creating him-with extra muscle upgrades, deluxe ugly face, the whole package.

"Oh, great," Wisty muttered, which was exactly what Leo was thinking. "We've made a friend."

"You die!" the Earthborn roared. "Friends of Yay-son die!"

The ogre scooped up handfuls of dirt, which immediately hardened into rock cannonballs.

Leo's mind went blank. He looked at Wisty desperately. She looked determined, and glowed with beauty, which reassured him a lot.

Wisty opened her mouth to scream something, but she never got to. A blur of turquoise and black flashed behind the ogre. A gleaming bronze blade sliced up one side of the Earthborn and down the other.

Six large arms dropped to the ground, boulders running out of their useless hands. The Earthborn looked down, very surprised. He mumbled, "Arm go bye-bye."  
>Then he melted to the ground.<p>

Piper stood there, breathing hard, her dagger covered in clay. Her dad sat at the bridge, dazed and wounded, but still alive.

Piper's expression was ferocious-almost crazy, like a cornered animal, like Wisty's a little. Leo was glad she was on his side.

"Nobody hurts my friends." she said, and with a sudden warm feeling, Leo realized she was talking about him and Wisty.  
>"How sweet!" Wisty said happily.<p>

"Come on!" Piper yelled.

Leo saw that the battle wasn't over. Jason was still fighting the giant Enceladus-and Wisty bolted over, carrying a huge golden lance that sparked with green energy.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Forty-Jason

**When Jason's lance broke, **he knew he was dead.

The battle had started well enough. Jason's instincts kicked in, and his gut told him he'd dueled with opponents almost this big before. Size and strength equaled slowness, so Jason just had to be a quicker-pace himself, wear out his opponent, and avoid getting smashed or flame-broiled.

"_Back!" _a female voice screamed in Latin at Enceladus from behind. A bright green light crashed into Enceladus's chest and the giant shuddered. His eyes were bright, and he sailed backwards and crashed to the ground.

"Boo-yeah!" Wisty ran next to Jason, breathing hard. She held a new golden lance exactly like Jason's old one, but it sparked with green energy at the tip. She had a scar down the left side of her face, dried blood in her hair, and she looked horrible, but pretty.

"Need some- DUCK!" Wisty pushed Jason down, screamed something in Latin, and flames rolled over her

Enceladus glared at Wisty, his eyes full of hate. He said something to her, but Jason could barely hear it.

Suddenly, Enceladus's spear missed him by a millimeter. Jason rolled backwards. When he got back on his feet, Wisty was running around Enceladus in circles, stabbing him in the feet and screaming.

Jason ran up to her, and followed along, but the attacks were only annoying and making Enceladus more outraged.

"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy the gods! Girl, your golden toothpick can't kill me."

Wisty and Jason didn't waste their energy to reply. They already were tired. The ground clung to their feet, making Jason feel like he weighed an extra hundred pounds, and he was guessing Wisty was feeling the same, too. Fire roared around them, stoked by the wind, and the temperature was approaching the heat of an oven.

Wisty raised her javelin to block the next strike, screaming _miss _in Latin so Jason wouldn't get hurt-a big mistake. She managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed her stomach, and Wisty winced.  
>She backed up, almost falling over a log.<p>

Jason retreated to help Wisty, and to lure the giant to the edge of the clearing. Enceladus could sense the friends' weariness. The giant smiled, baring his fangs.

"The mighty Jason Grace," he taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."

Jason's mind reeled. He didn't know these names, yet they made his skin tingle, as if his body remembered the pain his mind didn't.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He realized his mistake when Enceladus breathed fire.

Distracted by Wisty, he moved too slowly. The blast missed him, but the blast blistered his back. He slammed to the ground, his clothes smoldering. He was blinded from ash and smoke, choking as he tried to breathe.

"Jason!" Wisty screamed from yards away.

He scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between his feet.  
>He managed to stand, and Jason saw that Wisty managed to stand too.<p>

If he could only summon one good blast of lightning-but he was already drained, and in this condition, the effort might kill him. He didn't even know if electricity would harm the giant.

Can Wisty summon lightning? Jason thought.

Jason glanced at Wisty, and he sent a silent message. Wisty answered with a look that said: _I can try. _Jason nodded.

One last try: Jason and Wisty took deep breaths and charged.

Enceladus let them approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, Jason faked a strike and he and Wisty rolled between the giant's legs. They came up quickly, and thrusting with all their might, ready to stab the giant in the small of the back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping them. While Wisty was still behind him, he swept his spear sideways-meeting Jason's javelin-and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.

The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding Jason with golden light. The force knocked him off his feet and squeezed the breath out of him.

When he regained his focus, he was sitting at the rim of a craeter. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused, and Jason saw that Wisty was hidden in his dreadlocks, blinking. The javelin's destruction had released so much energy, it had blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing with dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance. Jason wasn't sure how he survived, but his clothes were steaming. He was out of energy. He had no weapon. And Enceladus was very much still alive.

Jason tried to get up, but his legs felt like lead. Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod."

Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of Jason. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over Jason's chest. Jason saw Wisty's eyes wide in fear.

"And now," Enceladus said. "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Forty One-Jason

**Time seemed to slow down, which was **really frustrating, since Jason still couldn't move. He felt himself sinking into the earth like the ground was a waterbed-comfortable, urging him to relax and give up. He wondered if the stories of the Underworld were true. Would he end up in the Fields of Punishment or Elysium? If he couldn't remember any of his deeds, would they still count? He wondered if his dad, Zeus, would write him a note: "Please excuse Jason from eternal damnation. He has had amnesia."

Jason couldn't feel his arms. He could see the tip of the spear coming toward his chest in slow motion. He knew he should move, but he couldn't seem to do it. Funny, he thought. All that effort to stay alive, and then, _boom_. You just lie there helplessly while a fire-breathing giant impales you.

Leo's voice yelled, "Heads up!"

A large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus with a massive _thunk! _The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.

"Jason, get up!" Piper called. Her voice energized him, shook him out of his stupor. He sat up, his head groggy, while Piper grabbed him under the arms and hauled him up.

"Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are _not _dying on me."  
>"Yes, ma'am." He felt light-headed, but she was about the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Her hair was smoldering. Her face was smeared with soot. She had a cut on her arm, her dress was torn, and she was missing a boot. Beautiful.<p>

About a hundred feet behind her, Leo was standing over a piece of construction equipment-a long cannonlike thing with a single massive piston, the edge broken clean off.

Then Jason looked down in the crater and saw where the other side of the hydraulic ax had gone. Enceladus was struggling to rise, an ax blade the size of a washing machine struck in his breastplate.

Amazingly, the giant managed to pull the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but Enceladus stood.

"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."

As they watched, the giant's armor mended itself, and the ichor stopped flowing. Even the cuts on his dragon-scale legs, which Jason had worked so hard to make, were now just pale scars.

Leo ran up to them, saw the giant, and cursed. "What _is _it with this guy? Die, alre… Wait-where's Wisty?"

Jason's heart shrinked. He looked up at Enceladus's hair, and he didn't see her. Jason's eyes darted around the crater.  
>Nothing.<p>

Then, at the other side of the crater, Wisty waved. Jason's eyes widened. Wisty shook her head urgently, and held her fingers to her lips.

Jason suddenly realized something. "So, does it take gods and demigods to defeat you, Enceladus?"  
>Enceladus's smile faltered, and Jason saw in his eyes something like fear.<p>

"You will not live long enough to try!" The giant started to stumbling up the crater's slope, slipping on the glassy sides.

"Anyone have a god handy?" Leo asked.

Jason's heart filled with dread. He looked at the giant below them, struggling to get out of the pit, and he knew what would happen.

"Leo," he said. "if you've got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready."

He leaped at the giant with no weapon but his bare hands.

"Enceladus!" Piper yelled. "Look behind you!"

It was genius. The giant said, "What?" and turned to see Wisty diving at him. Enceladus got punched in the eye. Right at the moment, while Enceladus was distracted, Jason tackled his legs. While he tried to rise, Jason and Wisty put their arms around the giant's neck. When Enceladus struggled to rise, Jason and Wisty were riding on each shoulder.

"Get off!" Enceladus screamed. He tried to grab the two, but they scrambled around, squirming and climbing over the giant's hair.

_Father, _Jason thought. _If I've ever done anything good, anything you approved of, help me now. I offer my own life-just save my friends. And please help Wisty._

Suddenly he could smell the metallic scent of a storm. Darkness swallowed the sun. The giant froze, sensing it too.

Jason yelled to his friends as Wisty screamed something, "Hit the deck!"  
>And every hair on his head stood straight up.<p>

Lightning surged through Jason's body, straight through Enceladus, and into the ground. The giant's back stiffened, and Jason and Wisty were thrown clear. When Jason regained his bearings, he and Wisty were slipping down the side of the crater, and the crater was cracking open. The lightning bolt (Or bolts, Jason hoped.) had split the mountain itself. The earth rumbled and tore apart, and Enceladus's legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessly at the glassy sides of the pit, and just for a moment he managed to hold on to the edge, his hands trembling.

He fixed Jason and Wisty a look of hatred. "You've won nothing, demigods. My brothers are rising, and they are ten times stronger as I. We will destroy the gods at their roots! You will die, and Olympus will die with-"  
>The giant lost his grip and fell into the crevice.<p>

The earth shook, and Jason and Wisty fell toward the rift.

"Grab hold!" Leo yelled.

Jason's feet were at the edge of the chasm when he grabbed the rope and Leo and Piper hauled him up.

Jason glanced back as he got hauled up and saw Wisty screaming.  
>Enceladus had her foot.<p>

"No!" Jason shouted, and somehow flipped, his feet buckled to the rope. He reached for Wisty's hand, which was a centimeter away from his. Wisty grabbed it desperately, and she slipped from the giant's grip and swung into the air.

They stood together, exhausted and terrified, as the chasm closed like an angry mouth. The ground stopped pulling their feet.  
>For now, Gaea was gone.<p>

The mountainside was on fire. Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the air. Jason spotted a helicopter-maybe fire fighters or reporters-coming toward them.

All around them was carnage. The Earthborn had melted into piles of clay, leaving behind only their rock missiles and some nasty bits of loincloth, but Jason figured they would reform soon enough. Construction equipment lay in ruins. The ground was scarred and blackened.

Coach Hedge started to move. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his head. His canary pants were now the color of Dijon mustard mixed with mud.

He blinked and looked around the battle scene. "Did I do this?"

Before Jason could reply, Hedge picked up his club and got shakily to his feet. "Yeah, you want some hoof? I gave you some hoof, cupcakes! Who's the goat, huh?"

He did a little dance, kicking rocks and making what were probably rude satyr gestures at the piles of clay.

Leo cracked a smile, Wisty bursted out laughing hysterically, her head on Leo's shoulder, and Jason couldn't help it-he started to laugh. It probably sounded a little hysterical, but it was such a relief to be alive, he didn't care.

Then a man stood up across the clearing. Tristan McLean staggered forward. His eyes were hollow, shell-shocked, like someone who'd just walked across a nuclear wasteland.

"Piper?" he called. His voice cracked. "Pipes, what-what is-"

He couldn't complete the thought. Piper ran over to him and hugged him tightly, but he almost didn't seem to know her.

Jason had felt a similar way-that morning at the Grand Canyon, when he woke up with no memory. But Mr. McLean had the opposite problem. He had too _many _memories, too much trauma his mind just couldn't handle. He was coming apart.

"We need to get him out of here," Jason said.  
>"Yeah, but how?" Leo said. "He's in no shape to walk."<p>

Jason glanced up at the helicopter, which was now circling directly overhead. "Can you make us a bullhorn or something?" he asked Leo. "Piper has some talking to do."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Forty Two-Piper

**Borrowing the helicopter was easy. **Getting her dad on board was not.

Piper only needed a few words through Leo's improvised bullhorn to convince the pilot to land on the mountain. The Park Service copter was big enough for medical evacuation or search and rescue, and when Piper told the very nice pilot lady that it would be a great idea to fly them to the Oakland Airport, she readily agreed.

"No," her dad muttered, as they picked him up off the ground. "Piper, what-there were monsters-there were monsters-"

She needed both Leo's and Jason's help to hold him, while Coach Hedge and Wisty gathered their supplies. Fortunately Hedge had put his pants and shoes back on, so Piper didn't have to explain the goat legs.

It broke Piper's heart to see her dad like this-pushed beyond the breaking point, crying like a little boy. She didn't know what the giant had done to him exactly, how the monsters shattered his spirit, but she didn't think she could stand to find out.

"It'll be okay, Dad," she said, making her voice as soothing as possible. She didn't want to charmspeak her father, but it seemed the only way. "These people are my friends. You're safe now."

He blinked, and looked at the helicopter rotors. "Blades. They had a machine with so many blades. They had six arms…"

When they got him to the bay doors, the pilot came over to help. "What's wrong with him?"  
>"Smoke inhalation," Jason suggested. "Or heat exhaustion."<br>"We should take him to the hospital," the pilot said.  
>"It's okay," Piper said. "The airport is good."<p>

"Yeah, the airport is good," the pilot agreed immediately. Then she frowned, as if uncertain why she'd changed her mind. "Isn't he Tristan McLean, the movie star?"  
>"No," Piper said. "Only looks like him."<br>"Yeah," the pilot said. "Only looks like him. I-" She blinked, confused. "I forgot what I was saying. Let's get going."

Jason raised his eyebrows at Piper, obviously impressed, but Piper felt miserable. She didn't want to twist people's minds, convince them of things they didn't believe. It felt so bossy, so _wrong_-like something Drew might do back at camp, or Medea in her evil department store. And how would it help her father? She couldn't convince him he would be okay, or that nothing had happened. His trauma was just too deep.

Finally they got him on board, and the helicopter took off. The pilot kept getting questions over her radio, asking her where she was going, but she ignored them. They veered away from the burning mountain and headed toward the Berkeley Hills.

"Piper," Her dad grasped her hand and held on like she was afraid he'd might fall. "It's you? They told me-they told me you would die. They said… horrible things would happen."  
>"It's me, Dad." It took all her willpower not to cry. She had to be strong for him. "Everything's going to be okay."<p>

"They were monsters," he said. "Real monsters. Earth spirits, right out of Grandpa Tom's stories-and the Earth Mother was angry with me. And the giant, Tsul`kälû, breathing fire-" He focused on Piper again, his eyes like broken glass, reflecting a crazy kind of light. "They said you were a demigod. Your mother was…"  
>"Aphrodite," Piper said, and she heard Wisty swallow hard. "Goddess of love."<br>"I-I-" He took a shaky breath, then seemed to forget how to exhale.

Piper's friends were careful not to watch. Leo and Wisty were playing catch with a lug nut from Leo's tool belt silently. Jason gazed at the valley below-the roads backing up as mortals stopped their cars and gawked at the burning mountain. Gleeson chewed on the stub of his carnation, and for once the satyr didn't look in the mood to yell or boast.

Tristan McLean wasn't supposed to be seen like this. He was a star. He was confident, stylish, suave-always in control. That was the public image he projected. Piper had seen the image falter before. Now it was broken, gone.

"I didn't know about Mom," Piper told him. "Not until you were taken. When we found out where you were, we came right away. My friends helped me. No one will hurt you again."

Her dad couldn't stop shivering. "You're heroes-you and your friends. I can't believe it. You're a _real _hero, not like me. Not playing a part. I'm so proud of you, Pipes." But the words were muttered listlessly, in a semi-trance.

He gazed down at the valley, and his grip on Piper's hand went slack. "Your mother never told me."  
>"She thought it was for the best." It sounded lame, even to Piper, and no amount of charmspeak could change that. But she didn't tell her dad what Aphrodite had really worried about: <em>If he spent the rest of his life with those memories, knowing that gods and spirits walk the earth, it will shatter him. <em>

Piper felt inside the pocket of her jacket. The vial was still there, warm at her touch.

But how could she erase his memories? Her dad finally knew who she was. He was proud of her, and for once she was his hero, not the other way around. He would never send her away now. They shared a secret.  
>How could she go back to the way things were?<p>

She held his hand, speaking to him about small things-her time at the Wilderness School, her cabin at Camp Half-Blood. She told him about how Coach Hedge ate carnations and fell on his butt at Mount Diablo, how Leo tamed a dragon, how Wisty could make monsters explode by command, and how Jason had made wolves back down by talking in Latin. Her friends smiled reluctantly as she recounted their adventures. Her dad seemed to relax as she talked, but he didn't smile. Piper wasn't even sure he heard her.

As they passed over the hills into East Bay, Jason tensed. He leaned so far out the doorway Piper was afraid he'd fall.

He pointed. "What is that?"

Piper looked down, but she didn't see anything interesting-just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hills, connecting the East Bay with the inland towns.

"Where?" Piper asked.  
>"That road," he said. "The one that goes through the hills,"<p>

Piper picked up the com helmet the pilot had given her and relayed the question over the radio. The answer wasn't exciting.

"She says it's Highway 24," Piper reported. "That's the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?"

Jason stared intently at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as they flew over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared into the entrance, like the expression almost as unsettled as Piper's dad's.

"Monsters," her dad said, a tear racing down his cheek. "I live in the world of monsters."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Forty Three-Piper

**Air traffic didn't want to **let an unscheduled helicopter land at the Oakland Airport-until Piper got on the radio. Then it turned out to be no problem.

They unloaded on the tarmac, and everyone looked at Piper.

"What now?" Jason asked her.

She felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to be in charge, but for her dad's sake, she had to appear confident. She'd just remembered that he'd flown into Oakland, which meant his private plane would still be there. But today was the solstice. They had to save Hera. They had no idea where to go or if it even was too late. And how could she leave her dad in this condition?

"First thing," she said. "I-I have to get my dad home. I'm sorry, guys."  
>Their faces fell.<p>

"Oh," Leo said. "I mean, absolutely. He needs you right now. We can take it from here."

"Pipes, no." Her dad had been sitting in the helicopter doorway, a blanket around his shoulders. But he stumbled to his feet. "You have a mission. A quest. I can't-"

"I'll take care of him," said Coach Hedge.

Piper stared at him. The satyr was the last person she'd expected to offer. "You?" she asked.  
>"I'm a protector," Gleeson said. "That's my job, not fighting."<p>

He sounded a little crestfallen, and Piper realized maybe she shouldn't have recounted how he got knocked out unconscious in the last battle. In his own way, maybe the satyr was as sensitive as her dad.

Then Hedge straightened, and set his jaw. "Of course, I'm good at fighting, too." He glared at them all, daring to argue.

"Yes," Jason said.  
>"Terrifying," Leo agreed.<br>"Very horrifying," Wisty added, grinning.

The coach grunted. "But I'm a protector, and I can do this. Your dad's right, Piper. You need to carry on with your quest."  
>"But…" Piper's eyes stung, as if she were back in the forest fire. "Dad…"<p>

He held out his arms, and she hugged him. He felt frail. He was trembling so much, it scared her.

"Let's give them a minute," Jason said, and they took the pilot down the tarmac.

"I can't believe it," her dad said. "I failed you."  
>"No, Dad!"<br>"The things they did, Piper, the visions they showed me…"

"Dad, listen." She took out the vial from her pocket. "Aphrodite gave me this, for you. It takes away your recent memories. It'll make it like none of this ever happened."

He gazed at her, as if translating her words from a foreign language. "But you're a hero. I would forget that?"  
>"Yes," Piper whispered. She forced an assuring tone in her voice. "It'll be like-like before."<p>

He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. "I love you, Piper. I always have. I-I sent you away because I didn't want you exposed to my life. Not the way I grew up-the poverty, the hopelessness. Not the Hollywood insanity either. I thought-I thought I was protecting you." He managed a brittle laugh. "As if your life without me was better, or safer."

Piper took his hand. She'd heard him talk about protecting her before, but she'd never believed it. She'd always thought he was just rationalizing. Her dad seemed so confident and easygoing, like his life was a joyride. How could he claim she needed protecting from that?

Finally Piper understood he'd been acting for her benefit, trying not to show how scared and insecure he was. He really _had _been trying to protect her. And now his ability to cope was destroyed.

She offered him the vial. "Take it. Maybe someday we'll be ready to talk about this again. When you're ready."  
>"When I'm ready," he murmured. "You make it sound like-like I'm the one growing up. I'm supposed to be the parent." He took the vial. His eyes gleamed with small desperate hope. "I love you, Pipes."<br>"Love you, too, Dad."

He drank the pink liquid. His eyes rolled up to his head, and he slumped forward. Piper caught him, and her friends ran to help.

"Got him," Hedge said. The satyr stumbled, but he was strong enough to hold Tristan McLean upright. "I already asked our ranger friend to call up his plane. It's on the way now. Home address?"

Piper was about to tell him. Then a thought occurred to her. She checked her dad's pocket, and his Blackberry was still there. It seemed bizarre that he'd still have something so normal after all he'd been through, but she guessed Enceladus hadn't seen any reason to take it.

"Everything's on here," Piper said. "Address, his chauffer's number. Just watch out for Jane."  
>Hedge's eyes lit up, like he sensed a possible fight. "Who's Jane?"<p>

By the time Piper explained, her dad's sleek white Gulfstream had taxied next to the helicopter.

Hedge and the flight attendant got Piper's dad on board. Then Hedge came down one last time to say his good byes. He gave Piper and Wisty a hug, and glared at Jason and Leo. "You cupcakes take care of this girl, you hear? Or I'll make you do push-ups."

"You got it, Coach," Leo said, a smile tugging at his mouth.  
>"No push-ups." Jason promised.<p>

Wisty looked not very annoyed that she wasn't included in the girl's protection program.

Piper gave the old satyr one more hug. "Thank you, Gleeson. Take care of him please."  
>"I got this, McLean," he assured her. "They got root beer and veggie enchiladas on this flight, and one hundred percent linen napkins-yum! I could get used to this."<p>

Trotting up the stairs, he lost one shoe, and his hoof was visible for just a second. The flight attendant's eyes widened, but she looked away and pretended nothing was wrong. Piper figured she'd probably seen stranger things, working for Tristan McLean.

When the plane headed down the runway, Piper started to cry. She'd been holding it in too long and she just couldn't anymore. Before she knew it, Jason was hugging her, Leo stood uncomfortably nearby, pulling Kleenex out of his tool belt, and Wisty stood next to him, signing a Hallmark "Get Well Soon" card with a pen from her book bag.

"Your dad's in good hands," Jason said. "You did amazing."

She sobbed into his shirt. She allowed herself to be held for six deep breaths. Seven. Then she couldn't indulge herself anymore. They needed her. The helicopter pilot was already uncomfortable, like she was wondering why she'd flown them here.

"Thank you, guys," Piper said. "I-"

She wanted to tell them how much they meant to her. They'd sacrificed everything, maybe even their quest, just to help her. She couldn't repay them, couldn't even put her gratitude into words. But her friends' expressions told her they understood.

Then, right next to Jason, the air began to shimmer. At first Piper thought it was the heat off the tarmac, or maybe gas fumes from the helicopter, but she'd seen something like this before in Medea's fountain. It was an Iris message. An image appeared in the air- a dark haired girl in silver winter camouflage, holding a bow.

Jason stumbled back in surprise. "Thalia!"  
>"Thank the gods," said the Hunter. The scene was hard for Piper to make out, but Piper heard yelling, metal clashing, and explosions.<p>

"We've found her," Thalia said. "Where are you?"  
>"Oakland," he said. "Where are you?"<br>"The Wolf House! Oakland is good; you're not too far. We're holding off the giant's minions, but we can't hold them forever. Get here before sunset, or it's all over."

"Dum, dum, duuummmmmm," Wisty added helpfully.  
>Thalia and Jason stared at her with the exact same expressions: pure annoyance.<p>

"Anyway," Piper said, hope surging through her. "Then it's not too late?"  
>Thalia's expression dampened Piper's hope. "Not yet," she said. "But Jason-it's worse than I thought. Poryphyrion is rising. Hurry."<p>

"But where is the Wolf House?" he pleaded.  
>"Our last trip," Thalia said, her image starting to flicker. "The park. Jack London. Remember?"<p>

This no sense to Piper, but Jason looked like he'd just been shot. He tottered, his face pale, and the Iris message disappeared.

"Bro, you all right?" Leo asked, and Wisty looked like she wanted to punch Leo's lights out. "You know where she is?"  
>"Yes," Jason said. "Sonoma Valley. Not far. Not by air."<p>

Piper turned to the ranger pilot, who'd been watching all of this with an increasingly puzzled expression.

"Ma'am," Piper said with her best smile. "You don't mind helping us one more time, do you?"  
>"I don't mind," the pilot agreed.<p>

"We can't take a mortal into battle," Jason said. "It's too dangerous." He turned to Leo. "Do you think you can fly this thing?"  
>"Um…" Leo's expression didn't exactly reassure Piper. But he then put his hand on the side of the helicopter, concentrating hard, as if listening to the machine.<p>

"Bell 412HP utility helicopter," Leo said. "Composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, service ceiling twenty-thousand feet. The tank is near full. Sure, I can fly it."  
>Wisty looked impressed.<p>

Piper smiled at the ranger again. "You don't have a problem with an under-aged unlicensed kid borrowing your copter, do you? We'll return it."  
>"I-" The pilot nearly choked on the words, but she got them out: "I don't have a problem with that."<p>

Leo grinned. "Hop in, kids. Uncle Leo's gonna take you for a ride."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Forty Four-Leo

**Fly a helicopter? Sure, why not? **Leo had done plenty of crazier things that week.

The sun was going down as they flew north over the Richmond Bridge, and Leo couldn't believe the day had gone so quickly. Once again, nothing like ADHD and a good fight to the death to make time fly.

Piloting the chopper, he went back and forth between confidence and panic. If he didn't think about it, he found himself automatically flipping the right switches, checking the altimeter, easing back on the stick, and flying straight. If he allowed himself to consider what he was doing, he started freaking out. He imagined his Aunt Rosa yelling at him in Spanish, telling him he was a delinquent lunatic who was going to crash and burn. Part of him suspected he was right.

"Going okay?" Piper asked from in the back with Jason. She sounded more nervous than he was, so Leo put on a brave face.

"Aces," he said. "So what's the Wolf House?"  
>"What I was wondering…" Wisty muttered from the copilot's seat and Leo thought, Score!<p>

Jason knelt between their seats, and Piper came up too. "An abandoned mansion in the Sonoma Valley. A demigod built it-Jack London."

Leo couldn't place the name. "He an actor?"  
>"Writer," Piper said. "Adventure stuff, right? <em>Call of the Wild? White Fang?<em>"

"Yeah," Jason said. "He was a son of Mercury-I mean, Hermes. He was an adventurer, traveled the world. He was even a hobo for a while."  
>"Interesting guy," Wisty said, and Leo's heart pumped. She looked drop-dead gorgeous. Leo wanted to kiss her so badly, but that would be weird and random.<p>

"Then he made a fortune writing." Jason continued. "He bought a big ranch in the country and decided to build this huge mansion-the Wolf House."  
>"Named that 'cause he wrote about wolves?" Leo guessed.<br>"Partially," Jason said. "But the site, and the reason he wrote about wolves-he was dropping hints about his personal experience. There's a lot of holes in his life story-how he was born, who his dad was, why he wandered around so much-stuff you can only explain if you know he was a demigod."

The bay slipped behind them, and the helicopter continued north. Ahead of them, yellow hills rolled out as far as Leo could see.

"So Jack London went to Camp Half-Blood," Leo guessed.  
>"No," Jason said. "He didn't."<br>"Bro, you're freaking me out with this mysterious talk. Are you remembering your past or not?"

"Pieces," Jason said. "Only pieces. None of it good. The Wolf House is sacred ground. It's where London started his journey as a child-where he found out he was a demigod. That's why he returned there. He thought he could live there, claim that land, but it wasn't meant for him. The Wolf House was cursed."  
>"Oh wow, that's nice." Wisty said with large sarcasm. "Then why are we going there if it's cursed?"<p>

Jason looked at her. "Hera, duh."  
>Wisty rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'm dense? I <em>know <em>that!"

Jason sighed, then continued. "It burned in a week before he and his wife were supposed to move in. A few years later, London died, and his ashes were burned on the site."

"So," Piper said. "how do you know all of this?"

A shadow crossed Jason's face. Probably just a cloud, but Leo could swear it looked like an eagle.

"I started my journey there too," Jason said. "It's a powerful place for demigods, a dangerous place. If Gaea can claim it, use its power to entomb Hera on the solstice and raise Porphyrion-that might be enough to awaken the earth goddess fully."

Leo kept his hand on the joystick, guiding the chopper at full speed-racing toward the north. He could see some weather ahead-a spot of darkness like a cloudbank or a storm, right where they were going.

Piper's dad had called him a hero earlier. And Leo couldn't believe some of the things he'd done-smacking around Cyclopes, disarming exploding doorbells, battling six-armed ogres with construction equipment. They just seemed like they had happened to another person. He was just Leo Valdez, an orphaned kid from Houston. He'd spent his life running away, and part of him still wanted to run. What was he thinking, flying toward a cursed mansion to fight more evil monsters.

His mom's voice echoed in his head: _Nothing is unfixable.  
>Except the fact that you're gone forever, <em>Leo thought.

Seeing Piper and her dad back together had really driven that home. Even if Leo survived this quest and saved Hera, Leo wouldn't have any happy reunions. He wouldn't be going back to a loving family. He wouldn't see his mom.

The helicopter shuddered. Metal creaked, and Leo could almost imagine the tapping was Morse code: _Not the end. Not the end._

"Did you hear that?" Wisty asked Leo quietly, so no one could hear.  
>Leo looked at her, confused. "Hear what?"<br>"The Morse code. The helicopter."

Leo was stunned. Wisty was the first person he'd ever met who knew Morse code.

As he leveled out the helicopter, and the creaking stopped, Leo asked, "So, you know Morse code too?"  
>Wisty looked suddenly uncomfortable, like it reminded her of a bad memory. "When I was seven, my mom was still around, and she taught me it on my birthday."<br>"How was your mom still around? Zeus probably was mad."

Wisty laughed bitterly. "Ha. Bunch of thunderstorms in Dallas for years. Because of me." She looked at him with curious eyes. "Doesn't that feel so _wrong_? Some people were thinking it was global warming, but it was just some god mad at another god for staying around with their kid. Zeus…"

Wisty's voice faded, and Leo knew she was going to say something not very nice.

As Wisty explained her mom/daughter bonding by Morse code, Leo flew the helicopter, concentrating on listening, not flying.

Wisty swallowed hard, and she looked like she couldn't say anymore. It was the part where she was eight. She'd said it so sadly, Leo knew it was a bad part.

"Thirty minutes out," he told his friends, though he wasn't sure how he knew. "If you want to get some rest, now is a good time."

"Piper," Wisty said. "Switch me spots."  
>"Okay…"<p>

In a flash, Piper was next to Leo, and Wisty and Jason were passed out in the back. Piper and Leo were the only ones awake.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Leo said, "Your dad'll be fine, you know. Nobody's gonna mess with him with that crazy goat around."

Piper glanced over and Leo was stuck by how much she'd changed. Not just physically. Her presence was stronger. She seemed more… _here. _At Wilderness School, she'd spent the semester trying not to be seen, hiding out in the back row of the classroom, the back of the bus, the corner of the lunchroom as far as possible from the loud kids. Now she would be impossible to miss. It didn't matter what she was wearing-you'd _have _to look at her.

"My dad," she said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I know. I was thinking about Jason. I'm worried about him."

Leo nodded. The closer they got to that bank of clouds, the more Leo worried, too. "He's starting to remember. That's got to make him a little edgy."  
>"But what if…what if he's a different person?"<p>

Leo had had the same thought. If the Mist could affect their memories, could Jason's whole personality be an illusion, too? If their friend wasn't their friend, and they were going into a cursed mansion-a dangerous place for demigods-what would happen if Jason's full memory came in the middle of a battle?

"Nah," Leo decided. "After all we've been through? I can't see it. We're a team. Jason can handle it."

Piper smoothed her blue dress, which was tattered and burned from their fight on Mount Diablo. "I hope you're right. I need him…" She cleared her throat. "I mean I need to trust him…"  
>"I know," Leo said. After seeing her dad break down, Leo understood Piper couldn't afford to lose Jason as well. She'd just watched Tristan McLean, her cool suave movie star dad, reduced near insanity. Leo could barely stand to watch that, but for Piper-Wow, Leo couldn't even imagine. He figured that would make her insecure about herself, too. If weakness was inherited, she'd be wondering, could <em>she <em>break down the way her dad did?

"Hey, don't worry," Leo said. "Piper, you're the strongest, most powerful beauty queen I've ever met. You can trust yourself. For all it's worth, you can trust me too."

The helicopter dipped down, and Leo almost jumped out of his skin. He cursed and righted the helicopter.

Piper laughed nervously. "Trust you, huh?"  
>"Ah, shut up already." But he grinned at her, and for a second, it felt like he was just relaxing comfortably with a friend.<p>

Then they hit the storm clouds. 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Forty Five –Leo

**At first, Leo thought rocks were **pelting the windshield. Then he realized it was sleet. Frost built up around the edges of the glass, and slushy waves of ice blotted out his view.

"An ice storm?" Piper shouted over the engine and the wind. "Is it supposed to be this cold in Sonoma?"

Leo wasn't sure, but something about this storm seemed conscious, malevolent-like it was intentionally hitting them.

Jason and Wisty woke up quickly. They crawled forward, grabbing the seats for balance. "We've got to be getting close." Jason said.

Leo was too busy wrestling with the stick to reply. Suddenly it wasn't so easy to drive the chopper. Its movements turned sluggish and jerky. The whole machine shuddered in the icy wind. The helicopter probably hadn't been prepped for cold-weather flying. The controls refused to respond, and they started to lose altitude.

Below them, the ground was a dark quilt of trees and fog. The ridge of a hill loomed in front of them, and Leo yanked the stick clearing the treetops.

Leo quickly glanced back at Wisty. She was frozen, her nails deep in Leo's chair. "Never do that again." She told him, and recovered quickly. Leo grinned.

"There!" Jason shouted.

A small valley opened up for them, with the murky shape of a building in the middle. Leo aimed the helicopter straight for it. All around them were flashes of light that reminded Leo of the tracer fire at Midas's compound. Trees cracked and exploded at the edges of a clearing. Shapes moved through the mist. Combat seemed to be everywhere.

He set down the helicopter in an icy field about fifty yards from the house and killed the engine. He was about to relax when he heard a whistling sound and saw a dark shape hurtling toward them out of the mist.

"Out!" Leo screamed.

They leaped from the helicopter and barely cleared the rotors when a massive _BOOM _shook the ground, knocking Leo off his feet and splattering ice all over him.

He blinked, and his face reddened. He was on the ground, and Wisty and him were nose-to-nose. Wisty's hair was swept over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling, but her face was very red.

"Uh…" Leo said stupidly.  
>"Um… yeah." Wisty said awkwardly. Her breath smelt like cinnamon, and Leo's heart was pumping out of his shirt.<p>

They got up shakily and awkwardly, and saw the biggest snowball-a chunk of ice, and dirt the size of a garage-had completely flattened the Bell 412.

"You all right?" Jason ran up to them, Piper at his side. They both looked fine except for being speckled with snow and mud.  
>"Yeah," Leo shivered. "Guess we owe that ranger lady a new helicopter."<p>

Piper pointed south. "Fighting's over there." Then she frowned. "No… it's all around us."

She was right. The sounds of combat ran across the valley. The snow and mist made it hard to tell for sure, but there seemed to be a circle of fighting all around the Wolf House.

Behind them loomed Jack London's dream home-a massive ruin of red and gray stones and rough-hewn timber beams. Leo could imagine how it had looked before it burned down-a combination log cabin and castle, like a billionaire lumberjack might build. But in the mist and sleet, the place had a lonely, haunted feel. Leo could totally believe the ruins were cursed.

"Jason!" a girl's voice called.

Thalia appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow. Her bow was in her hand, and her quiver was almost empty. She ran toward them, but only made it only a few steps before a six armed ogre-one of the Earthborn-burst out of the storm behind her, a raised club in hand.

"Look out!" Leo yelled. They rushed to help, but Thalia had it under control. She launched herself into a flip, notching an arrow as she pivoted like a gymnast and landed in a kneeling position. The ogre got a silver arrow right between the eyes and melted into a pile of clay.

Thalia stood and retrieved her arrow, but the point had snapped off. "That was my last arrow." She kicked the pile of clay resentfully. "Stupid ogre."

"Nice shot, though," Leo said.

Thalia and Wisty ignored him as usual (which no doubt meant they thought he was as cool as ever). She hugged Jason and nodded at Piper and Wisty. "Just in time. My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."

"By Earthborn?" Jason asked.  
>"<em>And <em>wolves-Lycaon's minions." Wisty clenched her fists as Thalia blew a fleck of ice off her nose. "Also storm spirits-"

"But we gave them to Aeolus!" Piper protested.  
>"Who tried to kill us," Leo reminded her. "Maybe he's helping Gaea again."<p>

"I don't know," Thalia said. "But the monsters keep re-forming almost as fast as we can kill them. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snowstorm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're surrounded. I don't know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera."

"Where is she?" Jason asked.  
>"Inside," Thalia said. "We tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage. It's only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn."<br>"Disgusting." Wisty said.

"Plus, most of the monsters are stronger at night. If we don't free Hera soon-"  
>She didn't need to finish the thought.<p>

Leo, Wisty, Piper and Jason followed her into the ruined mansion.

Jason stepped over the threshold and immediately collapsed.

"Hey!" Leo caught him. "None of that, man. What's wrong?"  
>"This place…" Jason shook his head. "Sorry… It came rushing back to me."<br>"So you _have _been here," Piper said.

"We both have," Thalia said. Her expression was grim, like she was just reliving someone's death. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared."  
>"She gave me to the wolves," Jason murmured. "At Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa."<p>

"That part I didn't know." Thalia frowned. "Who is Lupa?"

An explosion shook the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud billowed up, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold instead of heat.

"Maybe this isn't the time to ask for questions," Leo suggested. "Show us the goddess."  
>"For five-hundred." Wisty laughed.<br>Leo glared, but Wisty's smile just grew wider.

Once inside, Jason seemed to get his bearings. The house was built in a giant U, and Jason led them between the two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as Jason had described from his dream, two spires of rock and root tendrils had cracked through the foundation.

One of the spires was much bigger-a solid dark mass about twenty feet high, and to Leo it looked like a stone body bag. Underneath the mass of fused tendrils he could make out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like a creature was stuck waist deep in the earth. No, not stuck-_rising. _

On the opposite end of the pool, the other spire was smaller and more loosely woven. Each tendril was as thick as a telephone pole, with so little space between them that Leo doubted he could've gotten his arm through. Still, he could see inside. And in the center of the cage stood Tia Callida.

She looked exactly like Leo remembered: dark hair covered with a shawl, the black dress of a widow, a wrinkled face with glinting, scary eyes.

She didn't glow or radiate any sort of power. She looked like a regular mortal woman, his good old psychotic babysitter.

Leo dropped into the pool and approached the cage. "_Hola, Tia. _Little bit of trouble?"  
>She crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. "Don't expect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!"<p>

Wisty and Thalia stepped next to him and looked at the cage-Thalia with distaste, Wisty like she was trying to remember something. Maybe they were looking at the goddess.

"I think I remember you…" Wisty murmured.  
>Hera glared at her as if they had a bad history. "Oh, yes. I do. Your mother was still around. Curse Hecate…"<br>Wisty now looked furious. "At least my mother had a pretty kid, and not one who just cares about war!"  
>"Once I get out of here, I will make Hecate regret meeting your father!"<br>"My dad hasn't cheated on my mom a billion times!"

Before Hera could turn Wisty into an ant, Thalia stepped in. "Easy. I agree with Wisty, though. All you are is a goddess that tears demigods apart piece by piece."  
>"You don't even deserve to be the goddess of marriage and family!" Wisty cried.<p>

"Ohh, Thalia Grace," the goddess said. "When I get out of here, you'll be sorry you were ever born."  
>"Save it!" Thalia snapped. "You've been nothing but a curse to every Zeus child for ages. You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my friend Annabeth-"<br>"She was disrespectful!"  
>"You dropped a statue on my legs."<br>"It was an accident!"

"_And _you took my brother!" Thalia's voice cracked with emotion. "Here-on this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!"

"Hey," Jason intervened. "Thalia-Sis-, Wisty, I know. But this isn't the time. Thalia, you should go help your Hunters. Wisty, back off. Olympus needs us."

Thalia and Wisty clenched their jaws in the exact same way. "Fine," they growled in unison, then Thalia said, "For you, Jason. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it."

Thalia turned, leaped out of the pool, and stormed from the building.

Leo turned to Hera with grudging respect. "Intestinally challenged cows?"  
>"Focus on the cage, Leo," she grumbled. "And Jason-you are wiser than your sister. I chose my champion well."<p>

"I'm not your champion, lady," Jason said. "I'm only helping you because you stole my memories and you're better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what's going with that?"  
>"That, Jason," Hera said. "is the king of the giants being reborn."<p>

"Gross," Piper said.  
>"That's sick!" Wisty crinkled her nose.<p>

"Indeed," Hera said. "Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again-_my _power."  
>"She's smart." Wisty growled.<p>

"Wisty," Jason warned.  
>"I'm just saying!" Wisty reasoned.<p>

Hera ignored Wisty, and continued. "For weeks I've grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."  
>"So you're like a heat lamp," Leo guessed. "Or fertilizer."<p>

The goddess glared at him, but Leo didn't care. This old lady had been making his life miserable since he was a baby. He totally had the rights to rag on her.

"Joke all you wish," Hera said in a clipped tone. "But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him."  
>"Why not? He's the perfect guy for you-rude, not good-looking… You <em>so <em>should! It's payback for Zeus." Wisty said with heavy sarcasm.  
>Hera stared, then said in a controlling-her-anger tone, "We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken."<p>

Leo frowned at the giant's spire. "Can't we blow it up or something?"  
>"Without me, you do not have the power," Hera said. "You might as well destroy a mountain."<p>

"Done that once today," Jason and Wisty said in unison.

"Just hurry up and let me out!" Hera demanded.

Jason scratched his head. "Leo, can you do it?"  
>"I don't know." Leo tried not to panic. "Besides, if she's a goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?"<p>

Hera paced furiously around her cage, cursing in Ancient Greek. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I _picked _you because you're intelligent-"

Wisty bursted out laughing. Everyone looked at her. She was about to fall over, and tears were falling down her face.

"What's so funny?" Leo asked.  
>"Hera said…" Wisty tried to catch her breath. "you're… <em>intelligent<em>!" Wisty howled.  
>Leo's mouth dropped open in an offensive way. "I'm intelligent!"<p>

"No time for laughter now, Wisteria Salinas," Hera said. "Porphyrion is almost awake, and Leo, once trapped, a god's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg-_beg _him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus."  
>"Sounds fair," Leo said.<p>

Hera gave him the godly stink eye. "I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this _abomination_, it is you."  
>"Aw, I bet you're touched, Leo," Wisty said.<p>

"But it's not a machine. It's like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and…" Leo felt dizzy. The line of their prophecy came back to him: _The forge and dove shall break the cage. _"Hold on. I do have an idea. Piper, I'm going to need your help. And we're going to need time."

The air turned brittle with cold. The temperature dropped so fast, Leo's lips cracked and his breath turned to mist. Frost coated the walls of the Wolf House. _Venti _rushed in-but instead of winged men, these were shaped like horses, with dark storm-cloud bodies and manes that crackled with lightning. Some had silver arrows sticking out of their flanks. Behind them came red-eyed wolves and the six-armed Earthborn.

Piper drew her dagger. Jason grabbed an ice-covered plank off the pool floor. Instead of her lance, Wisty had a Celestial bronze dagger like Piper's. Leo reached into his tool belt, but he was so shaken up, all he produced was a tin of breath mints. He shoved them back in, hoping that no one had noticed, and drew a hammer instead.

One of the wolves padded forward. It was dragging a human size statue by the leg. At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and dropped the statue for them to see-an ice sculpture of a girl, an archer with short spiky hair and a surprised look on her face.

"Thalia!" Jason rushed forward, but Piper, Wisty and Leo pulled him back. The ground around Thalia's statue was already webbed with ice. Leo feared if Jason touched her, he might freeze too.

"Who did this?" Jason yelled. His whole body crackled with electricity. "I'll kill you myself!"

From somewhere behind the monsters, Leo heard a girl's laughter, clear and cold. She stepped out of the mist in her snowy white dress, a silver crown atop her long black hair. She regarded them with those deep brown eyes Leo had thought were so beautiful in Quebec.

"_Bon soir, mes amis,_" said Khione, the goddess of snow. She gave Leo a frosty smile, and Wisty looked like she might give her a piece of her mind. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have."

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Um- I would like to say I'm changing Wisty's (Oh, shut up, Microsoft! It's how I spell it!) appearance. This is the new her: she looks exactly like Vanessa Morgan from "My Babysitter's a Vampire" (AKA Sara. Without the fangs and green eyes. Duh!) **


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Forty Six-Jason

**After the fight on Mount Diablo, **Jason couldn't didn't think he could feel more afraid or devastated.

Now his sister was frozen at his feet. He was surrounded by monsters. He'd broken his golden sword and replaced it with a piece of wood. He had approximately five minutes until the king of the giants busted out and destroyed them. Jason had already pulled his biggest ace, calling down Zeus's lightning when he'd fought Enceladus, and he doubted he'd have the strength or the cooperation from above to do it again. This meant his only assets were one whiny imprisoned goddess, one sort-of girlfriend with a dagger, a fierce, pretty girl who had just popped into the quest, and Leo, who apparently thought he could defeat the armies of darkness with breath mints.

On top of all this, Jason's worst memories were flooding back. He knew for certain he'd done many dangerous things in his life, but he'd never been closer to death than he was right now.

The enemy was beautiful. Khione smiled, her dark eyes glittering, as a dagger of ice grew in her hand.

"What've you done?" Jason demanded.  
>"Oh, so many things." The snow goddess purred. "Your sister's not dead, if that's what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let <em>them <em>be the prey for once."  
>The wolves snarled appreciatively.<p>

"Yes, my dears." She kept her eyes on Jason. "Your sister almost killed their king, you know. Lycaon's off somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon Porphyrion will arise, we shall rule the world."

"Traitor!" Hera shouted. "You meddlesome, D-List goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world."  
>"For once, I agree with Hera." Wisty said.<p>

To Jason's shock, Khione ignored Wisty and sighed. "Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to shut you up for millennia."

Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing the spaces between the earth tendrils.

"That's better," the snow goddess said. "Now, demigods, about your death-"

"You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here," Jason said. "You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus."

The wolves snarled and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand. "Patience, my loves-"  
>"<em>Loves<em>?" Wisty asked. "You call horses and wolves love? That's pretty gross. I guess you don't like gods or mortals. You could've picked bugs instead, 'cause they're more your speed."  
>Jason just wished she could shut up sometimes.<p>

Khione ignored Wisty again (Dang, she's good.) "Of course, Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It's easy for me to whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered to Aeolus's ear that he should issue an order to kill the demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I'm sure I will be well rewarded when her sons the giants come to power."  
>"You could've killed us in Quebec," Jason said. "Why let us live?"<p>

Khione wrinkled her nose. "Messy business, killing you in my father's house, especially when he insists on meeting all visitors. I did _try_, you remember. It would've been lovely if he'd agreed to turn you to ice. But once he'd given you guarantee of safe passage, I couldn't openly disobey him. My father is an old fool. He lives in fear of Zeus and Aeolus, but he's still powerful. Soon enough, when my new masters have awakened, I will depose Boreas and take the throne of the North Wind, but not just yet. Besides, my father did have a point. Your quest was suicidal. I fully expected you to fail."

"And to help us with that," Leo said. "you knocked our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Those frozen wires in his head-that was _your _fault. You're gonna pay for that."  
>"You're also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us," Piper added. "We've been plagued by snowstorms the whole trip."<br>"You were that voice that told me to follow Leo, Piper and Jason." Wisty realized, her face furious. "You're meant to be the goddess of snow. You're as cold as ice."

"Yes, I feel so close to all of you now!" Khione said. "Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to ask Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die here, at the Wolf House." Khione smiled at him. "You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint for generations. Your demigod brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of the three from Camp Half-Blood. They'll believe the Greeks have conspired with giants. It will be… delicious."

Piper, Wisty and Leo didn't seem to understand what she was saying. But Jason knew. His memories were returning enough for him to realize how dangerously effective Khione's plan could be.

"You'll set demigods against demigods." he said.  
>"It's so easy!" said Khione. "As I told you, I only encourage what you would do anyway."<p>

"But why?" Piper spread her hands. "Khione, you'll tear the world apart. The giants will destroy everything. You don't want that. Call of your monsters."  
>Khione hesitated, then laughed. "Your persuasive powers are improving, girl. But I am a goddess. You can't charmspeak me. We wind gods are creatures of chaos! I'll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free. If we destroy the mortal world, all better! They never honored me, even in Greek times. Humans and their talk of global warming. Pah! I'll cool them down quickly enough. When we retake the ancient places, I'll cover the Arcopolis in snow."<p>

"The ancient places." Leo's eyes widened. "That's what Enceladus meant about destroying the roots if the gods. He meant Greece."  
>"You could join me, son of Hephaestus," Khione said. "I know you find me beautiful."<br>Wisty's fists and teeth were clenched.  
>"It would be enough for my plan if these three were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills could be quite useful."<p>

Leo looked stunned. He glanced behind him, like Khione might be talking to somebody else. For a second Jason was worried. He figured Leo didn't have beautiful goddesses make him offers like this every day.

Then Leo laughed so hard, he doubled over. "Yeah, join you. Right. Until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it. I can't believe I thought you were hot."

Khione's face turned red. "Hot? You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold."

She shot a blast of wintery sleet at the demigods, but Leo held up his hand. A wall of fire roared to life in front of them, and the snow dissolved in a steamy cloud.

Leo grinned. "See, lady, that's what happens to snow in Texas. It-freaking-melts."  
>Khione hissed. "Enough of this. Hera is falling. Porphyrion is rising. Kill the demigods. Let them be our king's first meal!"<p>

Jason hefted his icy wooden plank-a stupid weapon to die fighting with-and the monsters charged.


	17. Hear he, Hear he! Announcement from me!

**Hey, guys. It's me, Time2Wake. I'm just gonna go ahead on go to Piper's chapters, so… Everything is the same, except Wisty's in it. Duh. Khione's gone, Hera's back to good old Zeus, and Gaea's still pissed and sleeping. Hope you guys don't mind, and here we go! **

**-Time2Wake**


	18. Chapter 18

**This is past Piper's takeover at the Aphrodite cabin, her conversation with her dad, and Piper/Jason's conversation. But the time is in the morning. And this is only one chapter, though. Sorry. **

**Chapter Forty Nine-Wisty **

**Wisty's eyes opened, and she found herself **looking at the Hecate cabin's ceiling.

She blinked a few times, and for a moment forgot where she was. Then seeing everyone gasp when she'd got claimed came into her head.

"Hey, guys!" Lou Ellen, the counselor, yelled. "Time to get up!" Groans and shifting came from below, and Wisty smiled.

Lou Ellen saw Wisty and said, "Good morning, Wisty."  
>"Good morning, Mary Lou."<br>"How'd you sleep?"  
>"Great. You?"<br>"Fantastic."

Wisty climbed down from the wooden ladder and saw her bunkmate, Danny, yawning. Danny had amber eyes, chocolate brown hair cut Justin Bieber-style, and was Egyptian. He was tall, and nice. The only thing different about him was he was deaf; but that was fine by Wisty.

Danny told her good morning in sign language, and Wisty nodded back.

She got dressed into the camp t-shirt, simple jeans, a brown slouch ski beanie, and brown turn ankle boots.

When she was done brushing her teeth, she stepped out of the bathroom and said, "Whoa."

Her cabinmates were in a half-circle around the bathroom, and Lou Ellen was in the center, holding a small box in her hands.

"Wh… what's going on, guys?" Wisty asked.  
>"Wisty," Lou Ellen announced. "I am stepping down from my counseling post and making <em>you <em>the new counselor. Do you accept?"  
>"I-I-I-I… I…" Wisty was speechless. It was so sudden, and she had only been there for a day.<p>

"Um… I accept." Wisty finally managed after about twenty seconds of stammering.

"Now, we have a tradition with the Hecate counselors," Lou Ellen told her. She opened the box and Wisty's face flushed. In the small box were silver and opal dangle earrings. They shone in the light.

"Oh my god." Wisty blurted out, and most of the cabinmates laughed. "Lou Ellen, thank you. Um- can I wear them?"  
>"Of course!"<p>

After Wisty put on the earrings, she led the Hecate cabin to the dining pavilion for breakfast, which smelled amazing from yards away.

Wisty sat under a magnolia tree near the cabins and the basketball court, holding a chew toy that was covered in Jaz's drool.

Jaz was a hellhound/German Shepard mix, with the brown-black fur and kind, playful ruby-colored eyes. She was Mrs. O'Leary's puppy, and Chiron had offered for Wisty to be Jaz's caretaker. Wisty had said yes immediately.

Jaz bounded to Wisty, and a foot away, crouched, looking at the chew toy like a little kid at a candy store.

"You want it?" Wisty asked playfully.  
>Jaz whined.<br>"Go get it!" Wisty threw the chew toy all the way past the Poseidon, Ares, and Athena cabin. It landed right on the Hephaestus cabin's steps and she cursed.  
>That was Leo's cabin.<p>

She had a crush on Leo ever since that first time she saw him. She liked his eyes a lot, his smile, and his goofy and funny personality. He was cute, and Wisty's heart flipped every time she saw him.

When Khione said, "I know you find me beautiful," she'd wanted to punch the snow out of that stupid snow goddess. But her anger had passed when Leo declined. That made her day.

Wisty had noticed that she and Leo were a lot alike. They were sarcastic (A lot), fierce when they wanted to, held in a lot of pain, and friendly.

What had sucked was that Wisty had ignored him; but it was the only way to hide her affection. If she hadn't done that, she would've kissed Leo by now. How awkward would that be? Very.

A _THUD! _jarred Wisty from her day-dream. Wisty looked at Jaz and cursed under her breath. Jaz had tackled Leo to get the chew toy.

"Jaz!" Wisty yelled. "Bad dog!" She walked up to Cabin Nine's steps, embarrassed and mad. Stupid dog.

Jaz looked up at Wisty with innocent eyes.  
>"Oh, don't you give me those puppy-dog eyes." Wisty told her.<br>Jaz whined.  
>"No whining."<p>

Leo was grinning. "Who's this?"  
>"Oh," Wisty couldn't help but flush. "This is Jaz, Mrs. O'Leary's puppy. Chiron said I could take care of her."<br>"Sweet."  
>"Yeah. I'm sorry about her tripping you."<br>"That's all right."

Wisty was kind of surprised Leo wasn't cracking any jokes. He actually looked nervous.

"You look nervous," Wisty blurted out.  
>Leo shrugged. "I'm showing my cabin, Jason, Piper and you somethin' in a few minutes."<br>"What is it?"  
>"Something in the woods."<br>"Cool."

They locked eyes, and Wisty's heart was _pumping. _Hard.

The cabin's door opened, and burly kids that looked nothing alike were in a line in the doorway.

"Leo…" a girl's voice faded, seeing what was going on.  
>Leo blinked, blushed, then looked up at the girl. "Um… yeah. We should get going."<p>

Wisty nodded hastily, her face a deep shade of scarlet. God, why did time have to pass so quickly?

"You tagging along?" Leo asked her.  
>"Wh… Oh, yeah. Sure." She was tripping over her words, and Wisty wanted to kick herself. How stupid of her.<p>

Wisty flanked next to Leo, smiling to herself. They walked into the woods, taking Jaz to the arena on the way.


End file.
